Warm Whispers
by SammmmanthaJ
Summary: AU; Mitchie is desperate to leave a HS that hates her behind and escape to CR for the summer. What happens when someone from her high school turns up and threatens everything she's worked for? Smitchie. Rated M for language.
1. Summary

_Mitchie Torres had it all going into her junior year of high school in North L.A. She had the boyfriend, she had the family, she had the friends, she had the happiness…almost. After making a few life changes and deciding to truly be happy, she breaks up with her controlling boyfriend and the school turns against her. While struggling to get through the last few weeks of school, her summer is seemingly saved by the impossible – a chance to go to Camp Rock, her dream music camp. Determined to be someone, Mitchie goes in with her head held high, but it turns out, being yourself in a world of fakes is harder than it seems. When someone from her high school shows up and threatens to destroy her and her newfound happiness, can Mitchie overcome the pressure and be someone? Can she do it on her own?_

A new AU Camp Rock story! It's my first CR story, but I've been reading and writing for a long time. I began this story sometime last year, and wanted to get a head start before posting it to the site. Let me know what you think via feedback, but flames aren't reeeeeally appreciated.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter – twitter . com /sammmmanthaj and I'll post one song (at least) with each chapter. They'll just be uploaded to MegaUpload, so feel free to help yourself! Sometimes they'll be the songs sang in the chapters, other times they will be the songs the chapter is named after or inspired by. I just think that songs really help the flow of the story, and I think everyone should be able to have access to them!

Let me know what you think of the first chapter!


	2. Let Them Wonder

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy the first chapter! I've worked really hard on this and I hope it shows. The pace will pick up soon enough, but fair warning – this is a novel-length story you're embarking on. Don't forget to follow me on my story's twitter (/sammmmanthaj)! I have the title track, Missy Higgins' "Warm Whispers" up for download now. Thanks, and enjoy!**

"Oh, for Christ's sake," Mitchie muttered as she saw her locker. Spray painted in bright white, a stark contrast to the navy locker, was the word "whore," glaring at her. She heard people snicker as she walked up to retrieve her things. All she could do was roll her eyes and remind herself that school would be done in a week. One more week and then it was summer. And then just one more year of this hellish high school. She could only hope her senior year would be better than the nightmare that had become her junior.

"Hey, Mitchie, you really that easy? Wanna go to the back of my truck after classes?" A loud male voice guffawed behind her. She turned around slowly, smiling sweetly.

"Even if I was that easy, I still wouldn't sleep with you, Shawn." The laughter that had been directed at her turned to a chorus of "burn!" and "ohhh!" Instantly, Shawn stalked up to her, caging her in between his arms pressed against the side of the lockers.

"Are you really so sure about that, Torres?"

Mitchie gulped. She was determined not to show her fear, so instead she prayed that her voice didn't shake when she opened her mouth.

"You couldn't pay me enough."

"Why you little-"

"Mr. Callahan, Miss Torres," the Vice Principal Fleury walked up behind them, effectively causing Shawn Callahan to drop his hands and step back from her. "Do we have a problem?"

"No, no problem," Shawn shot daggers out of his eyes at Mitchie, urging her to agree with him.

"Mitchie, you alright over here?" Fleury asked again, his eyes looking skeptical of the situation.

"Yeah, no problem," she sighed, before her eyes lit up. Before Fleury left, Mitchie spoke up again. "But you could probably talk to Vice Principal Fleury about your…_little_ problem, Shawn," Mitchie suggested as she let her eyes linger over Shawn's jeans.

"You need a man-to-man talk, son?" Vice Principal Fleury put his hand on Shawn's shoulder and led him away as Shawn glared at Mitchie. She gave him a little wave and turned back to her locker.

It was hard to believe that she used to be friends with him. Well, maybe not _friends_, but casual acquaintances. He had been friends with her old boyfriend, Joey Carter, and through that friendship he had to have some sort of respect for Mitchie. _Clearly he retained none of that_, Mitchie thought bitterly.

He had been civil before. They all had been. No one had wrote slurs on her locker weekly, no one had gone out of their way to trip her in the halls, no one had started vicious rumors about her almost daily. But that was then, when she was dating Joey, when her life made sense. It was times like these, as she dumped the few books she had left into her messenger bag, when she wondered if she made the right decision. She knew in her heart she had – breaking up with Joey had been the correct thing to do. Even if everyone did hate her now, even if this – graffiti, cruelty, pain – was her life now. It was the right decision. She had hoped Joey would see it that way, but it was clear that he didn't.

She didn't break up with him for someone else. Heck, how could anyone else even get close enough for her to like – Joey made it quite clear that she was hers, and she had virtually no male friends at all. But no matter what she said, Joey insisted that she must be cheating on him with someone else.

She'd been dating Joey since they were 10, practically. They grew up together, and once middle school rolled around, they just fell into a relationship. But it just wasn't a healthy relationship to Mitchie; he was fairly controlling, and sheltered her from a lot of things. She had wanted – no, needed – a break to experience other things. She just wanted to see what the world was like without Joey dictating her every move, or hovering over her shoulder as she did every little thing. She had tried to explain that the best she could to him, telling him that it wasn't anyone else; she just needed to be single. She needed to not be so dependent on him for everything. To say he hadn't taken it well would be the understatement of the century.

After all was said and done, Mitchie was surprised she had actually managed to stick her ground throughout it all. She knew she loved him, she really did, but it wasn't the type of love that made people stay together. She wasn't _in love_ with him anymore. But he was comfortable and familiar, and it broke Mitchie's heart to break his. She had found this entire gray area in her life – love wasn't black and white anymore. But he had screamed and pled and begged her to not let him go. He made promises and gave ultimatums but in the end, she knew what she had to do. It wasn't something he could fix; it was something she needed to do on her own. So she broke his heart, and he took away her entire life. Overnight, he managed to turn the entire student body against him – or at least the upper crust, which, if she was being completely honest with herself, she had never truly belonged to anyway.

All of her old friends disowned her and the rest of the student body was too scared of the upper crust to try and get to know her. The upper crust wasn't just high school royalty – some of them were pretty much _real_ royalty. These were the kids whose parents were ambassadors, executives, Senators, movie stars. Joey's dad alone was a professional NASCAR racer, four-time Daytona 500 winner or something or other. He made millions racing and thousands for simple appearances, guaranteeing Joey a secure seat in the high school royal court. Mitchie was merely royalty by association – her mom was a caterer and her father owned a hardware store. There was virtually nothing special about her or her family, but dating Joey had allowed for certain advantages to be thrown her way.

"You going tonight?" A voice from beside her shook Mitchie out of her own little trip down memory lane and she jerked her head up to see the face attached to the voice.

Melissa Price stood a good four inches taller than Mitchie with her stilettos on, intimidating her without even trying. She was everything Mitchie wasn't: blonde hair, blue eyed, curves in all the right places, cruel and unforgiving, too.

"Why? Want to come over my house tonight and we can braid each other's hair and do each other's makeup?" Sometimes words like that would just spill out of Mitchie's mouth. She had never been that snippy before, or that sarcastic, even. But now she was well aware that if she didn't get the first barb in then she definitely wouldn't get the last.

"No thanks, I'd prefer to hang out with someone who _wasn't_ a social leper. I just want to make sure you're not planning on humiliating yourself further by showing up at Chaos tonight."

End Of The Year Chaos was a tradition at her high school. On the last Friday of the school year, the school would host a huge party on the football field. A stage would be set up, usually some local bands would play, kids would dance, drink under the bleachers, sign each other's yearbooks – the typical high school dance.

"Now why would I want to miss something like that?" It wasn't her typical scene, if she was being honest with herself, but she was determined to let them know that they didn't matter to her. All their stares, their whispers and rumors – they didn't affect her. Well, that's what she wanted them to believe anyway.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help out an old friend here. You never know _what_ could happen when a bunch of crazy high school kids get together…" Melissa twirled a strand of blonde hair around her fingers carelessly, "Avoid the pig blood, Mitchie."

"…Have you even _seen_ the movie 'Carrie'?"

"Duh."

"Well, I'm pretty sure it doesn't end too well for you, either."

"Whatever. Look, just stay away tonight and we won't have any issues."

"You mean besides you vandalizing my locker?"

"I didn't write on your stupid locker!"

"You have spray paint on your hands still." She didn't really, but this had 'Melissa' written all over it.

"I do?" Melissa instantly starting inspecting her hands.

"Well, there's my answer. See you tonight, Melissa." Mitchie started walking away.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Melissa called after her with a laugh.

* * *

Ten minutes later and two prank phone calls later, Mitchie walked into her house, relieved to finally be home.

"One more week, one more week," she chanted to herself. "Not even! Just 'til next Thursday. Four more days, four more days…"

"I think I read somewhere that talking to yourself is the first sign of instability," her mom, Connie Torres, joked with her as Mitchie walked into the kitchen.

Mitchie just snorted.

"I think we _both_ know that wasn't the first sign." She smiled at her mom who was stirring something on the stove. "Whatcha making? Smells good in here."

"Chili, your favorite!" Mitchie opened her mouth to speak but her mom spoke over her. "Don't worry, no extra garlic! I didn't want you to keep all the vampires away tonight." She noticed her daughter's fallen look at the mention of End Of The Year Chaos. "You are still going tonight, right? Even though you got into a fight with Joey?"

Mitchie tried not to roll her eyes. It had been over three months since she broke up with Joey – it was right after February break – and her mother still looks upon it as a 'lover's spat.' No matter what she said to the contrary, Connie firmly believed that they were just in an 'off-stage.'

"Yeah, about tonight, mom, I'm not sure if it's a good idea…"

"You need to go! You need to celebrate with your friends!" Her mom suddenly looked so excited for Mitchie to go, she could barely contain the smile that spread across her face.

"Celebrate what, Mom? I mean, the end of the year happens pretty much every year." Mitchie didn't have the heart to tell her that Joey managed to turn the entire population of Grant High School against her. She had been putting in a lot of extra hours at her job at the restaurant, convincing her mom that she was spending time with Melissa or her old friend Harmony.

"No, you have other things to celebrate, too!" Connie gushed. "And you're not going to be seeing your friends for a while after next week anyway, so-"

"I'm not?" Mitchie tried to turn her ecstatic tone into one of a little more regret, but she doubt it worked. "Why am I not going to see them for a while? Mom?"

"Well, because I'm pretty sure Camp Rock is 6 weeks long!"

The scream that escaped Mitchie's mouth was sure to be ringing in her mom's ears for long after.

"Are you _kidding_ me? Mom! Are you serious? This is amazing! How? Why? When?"

"Breathe, Mitch! I am _so_ serious. And as for the 'how'…well, you wouldn't object to helping your mom in the kitchen for a few hours a day, would you?"

"You're coming too? You're _cooking_ and coming? You're getting _paid_ to cook and coming with me?" Mitchie suddenly stopped jumping around and gave her mom a suspicious look. "You _are_ getting paid, right?"

"Of course I am, sweetheart! I'm lucky enough that I don't really have any jobs that my staff can't handle during the next two months, and lucky for you – you get to go to camp at a discounted rate!"

"Have I told you how much I _love_ discounted rates? And you?" Mitchie could barely believe it – Camp Rock had been something she'd wanted to go to since the summer after her freshman year of high school. Her family had never had the funds, and Joey had never wanted her to go, but now everything was falling into place.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, honey!" Her mom exclaimed. "I was nervous that you wouldn't be as interested in Camp Rock as you have been for the past few years, but it was sort of a spur of the moment decision and-"

"Mom! I love it. I'm so excited. I can't wait." Mitchie had to admit that her mind had been preoccupied for the past couple months so she hadn't been leaving the telltale brochures for Camp Rock around that she usually did at this time of the year. "I have to go to the restaurant and take it off-"

"Done! I saw your friend Melissa and she told me that she had gotten a job there, too, and she made sure to pass on the message that you'd be gone."

Well, that certainly put a damper on Mitchie's mood. Her mother had trusted _Melissa_ to relay a message for her? And her mother actually thought Melissa had a job? Melissa's father was the ambassador to Belgium – she had never worked a day in her entire life. She quickly took out her phone to call and try and rectify the situation with her job, but a new text caught her eye.

**I wouldn't worry about coming back to work. Ever.**

It was from Justin, a waiter at the restaurant. Luckily, he didn't go to the same school as Mitchie, but he was connected enough to know her current social status. Biting back a groan, Mitchie slipped her phone back into her purse and pasted a smile on her face. If she just didn't think about how she no longer had a job, her life was pretty good right now. School was almost over, she wasn't going to see anyone from her town for a solid 6 weeks, and she was going to _Camp Rock!_ Pushing her job to the back of her mind, a true smile spread over her face.

"You know what, I think I'll grab something on the way to Chaos tonight," Mitchie said, backing out of the kitchen.

"And miss out on your favorite chili? Are you feeling okay? I didn't break you with the Camp Rock news, did I?"

"Mom, I don't know how to break this to you, but even a _little_ garlic is too much for Chaos, you know?" She flashed her a grin and retreated to her room to read a little and eventually get ready.

Mitchie rarely needed longer than ten minutes to get ready, but she figured she should probably make a little more of an effort while all her other classmates were at the salons and spas, getting completely pampered for one measly high school dance.

She spent a few hours reading about Camp Rock and making a mental list of things she was going to need to pack and finally succumbed to getting ready at five thirty.

She ran her fingers through her tousled dark brown hair – nothing could be done to help _that_ – and started to look through her closet in hopes of something decent to wear. She was well aware that the other girls would be in Dolce & Gabbana and Jimmy Choos, flaunting their latest Christian Dior handbag. But with that realization came another: she didn't need to fit into their mold anymore. She didn't need to try and be someone she's not.

With that, she pulled out a dress that she had bought months ago at Forever 21, but never had the guts to wear to school. It had a high-waisted skirt that came up past her navel, with an almost sheer white t-shirt-like top with the screenprint of a tiger's face on it. With a couple of chunky necklaces, some fishnet tights and a little heavier eye makeup than she normally preferred, Mitchie dubbed herself as presentable to the public.

"What do you think?" Mitchie did a little twirl once she got to the bottom of the stairs where her parents were sitting, watching TV.

"Adorable!" Connie exclaimed. "But…it's not very 'you,' is it?"

"Au contraire, mother! It is _very_ 'me.' Maybe you just don't know this me very well." She gave another twirl around the room as she slipped into some low-heeled black pumps.

"Well, if this new you is always this happy, then I say that I like her!" Mitchie shot her an exasperated look. "What! Don't give me that look, you know you've been a little snappy these past weeks. And I _know_ it must be hard going through this with Joey, but the boy will come back to his senses eventually and realize that you're the one for him. But go have fun tonight! You getting picked up or do you want to take your father's truck?"

Mitchie chose not to comment on Joey's apparent "senseless" actions, and instead focused on the fact that her mother offered her father's truck, not the catering van.

"Yes please!" It was just a beat up white pick up truck, but it ran and it didn't have 'Connie's Catering Service' written on top of it with plates and pots rattling in the back.

"Oh, Mitchie, who's this special guest for tonight?" Connie innocently asked, studying a flier in her hand. Mitchie quickly snagged it and took a look at it. Sure enough, it said 'surprise celebrity guests' under performances, but she had no idea who it could be.

"No idea, mom."

"Really? I would've thought Harmony would've jumped at the chance to know everything about a secret celebrity guest!" It was scary how well her mom knew her friends. That was typical Harmony, and for a moment Mitchie questioned herself as to why she didn't know who the guests were, but then she remembered. She hadn't spoken to Harmony in weeks.

She bid them a quick goodbye after that before snagging the keys off the table and running outside. The weather was perfect California weather – a warm night with minimal humidity. Despite not knowing how the night would go, Mitchie felt a small sense of excitement mingled with anticipation. She looked good, she felt good, and for the first time in a while, she was looking forward to going to a school-sanctioned event.

_Let them wonder_, she thought mischievously.


	3. Over Rated

**Author's Note: Hi! I meant to update sooner – I'm thinking like, 2, per week, but this has pretty much been a week. So sorry! Anyway, here's chapter 2, where you get to meet Connect 3 in this story. **

**You can find the chapter's title track – "Over-Rated" – available for download on my twitter account (/sammmmanthaj). It's a song by Alexz Johnson, and I have to admit, I think popularity is pretty over-rated. **

**Anyway, enjoy! A huge thank you to those of you who reviewed: coolkitten12, mia_bella_jacob and ladymilly12. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!**

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The parking lot was already pretty full by the time she pulled into it; students were milling around and drinking out of Solo cups, some of them well on their way to being drunk. Mitchie gingerly got out of the truck, making sure it was locked, before making her way to the football field where she could hear music playing and people shouting. For the first time in a while, she held her head high and didn't give in to the inappropriate or rude comments that were thrown her way. She just smirked a knowing smile at them and continued on her way. This seemed to work almost as good as her witty, sarcastic retorts.

She had made it almost to the thirty yard line when a carefully pedicured foot caught on her ankle, making her stumble slightly, but luckily, not fall down. One look at the sparkly heels told her that Harmony Jacobs was making herself known. She was the niece of Marc Jacobs and her mother had her own line of cosmetics, making her one of the most artificially beautiful persons to walk through the doors of Grant High.

"Come to see your boyfriend tonight, Mitchie?" Mitchie raised her eyebrows at her.

"I'm pretty sure you know I don't have a boyfriend, seeing as you were making out with Joey a few weeks ago at Tori's party." She might not go to these parties anymore, but everyone made sure that she knew every last gruesome detail.

"Hah! Not Joey, sweetie." Mitchie grit her teeth at the endearment. "Shane Gray."

"Oh, is part of his court mandated community service that he hang out with you? That's a pretty good punishment, now that I think about it."

"Oh, you're almost funny, Mitchie." Harmony looked good and mad now. "But you mean you _don't know_ that Connect 3 is playing tonight? God, does _no one_ talk to you anymore? …Oh, wait. They don't." Harmony whirled away but stopped about five feet from her and turned back. "And don't worry, Mitchie – I'll point you out as the crazed stalker to him. I'm sure he'd _love_ to give you an autograph. Or a restraining order."

Mitchie's mind was reeling so fast that she didn't even have time to think of anything to come back with. Connect 3 was coming to her school. _Connect 3_. Only her favorite band of all time, which, of course, Harmony was well aware of. But at this point, she couldn't even care about that. She had never had the money to go to a Connect 3 concert, and now she was going to get one – for free! She was utterly and truly surprised that they were going to be playing at her school. For one, they were internationally acclaimed superstars, but she supposed that didn't particularly matter when she went to school with Kylie Stiles. Kylie was the daughter of pop sensation Sookie Stiles and she was a year older than Mitchie, although she heard that she failed senior year and was going to be in Michie's class next year. To make matters worse, she was one of the few that was _never_ nice to her, even when she had been dating Joey.

So it wasn't that big of a surprise that celebrities were making cameo appearances at her high school. No, with enough money and the right strings, she supposed anyone would do anything. It was the fact that Shane Gray, Connect 3's lead singer and resident heartthrob, was currently on probation. Or something. She read about it in Pop Informer, and while the news might not be 100% accurate, it was a well-documented fact that Shane Gray was Hollywood's current bad boy. In the past couple months, he had been seen starting fights, being particularly diva-like, costing the label and the band a lot of money, and just being a genuine jerk. Mitchie had to smirk a little at that…for the most part, that described _her_ in the past few months, too.

She wasn't really worried about anything Harmony or the others might say. After all, it's not like she'd ever see Shane Gray again, and it's not like she'd even speak to him tonight. Of course, with the way he'd been acting lately, she wouldn't mind giving him a piece of her mind. She didn't really care about the diva fits and tantrums, but she'd read a story about him ditching a charity function where he was supposed to be the main attraction, and that made her want to read him the riot act.

She mulled this over in her mind as she tried to make her way closer to the main stage nonchalantly. People were starting to crowd the area and apparently she _was_ the only one who didn't know that Connect 3 was going to be playing.

Finally, after waiting what seemed like hours, and her fake smile splayed so tightly across her face that she thought her cheeks might fall off, she heard it. It. It was just one chord, really, but it was enough to make her heart start beating faster and her foot start tapping subconsciously. It was going to _start._

They took the stage and it was like pure pandemonium erupted on the football field. And as much as Mitchie wanted to be close to the stage, she wanted to not be trampled even more, so she sidled out of the craziness, making her way towards the back. She watched from the sidelines, enjoying the show, despite Shane's somewhat surly face that made it seem like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

Connect 3 had made it through about 4 songs when Mitchie's attention was drawn elsewhere. It was Harmony, Joey, Melissa, Kylie, Shawn, and a group of other people that she wasn't too familiar with, as they must have been seniors that just graduated.

She watched as Joey maliciously tore what looked like a paperback book apart and throw it on the ground, and then as Melissa and Harmony mocked a girl that Mitchie had only seen once or twice before. She had long, curly yet frizzy hair and glasses, wearing a plain green button up and some nondescript jeans, and she currently looked as if she was about to burst into tears.

Before she knew what she was doing, before she could think it through, Mitchie was over there, grabbing what was left of the paperback book out of Joey's hands and picking up the pieces on the ground. She gently gave them back to the girl.

"Are you okay?" Mitchie asked her quietly.

"Yeah," the girl sniffed, wiping her eyes furtively. "Sorry, I just…um, have you seen my-oh."

"Looking for this?" Melissa held out what looked to be a homemade crocheted purse, dangling from her finger. She was dressed in a tiny dress, barely covering her bottom, made of shiny gold silk. Of course.

"Just give it to her, Melissa."

"Or what, sweetie? You'll be mean to me? God, Mitchie!" She cackled, and suddenly Mitchie was distinctly aware of the silence that surrounded them. Sure enough, she looked up and even Connect 3 had stopped playing. Nate and Jason, the other two members of the band were trying to discreetly look somewhere other than at the argument between the two girls, but Shane Gray seemed to not care, as he stared them down from a distance.

"You think you're so great!" Melissa's screeching brought her attention back to her. "But really, Mitchie, what do you have going for you? Because I can't think of one good thing. You don't have any friends, and you don't have a boyfriend, you have no money, and thanks to yours truly, you don't have a job."

"Unlike you, I happen to think there's more to life than _friends like you_ or having a boyfriend _like Joey_, Melissa."

"Yeah? Well, no one cares what you think. Not anymore." Melissa dropped the girl's purse as if on cue, and the contents scattered out. Mitchie knelt down and started putting them back in the pocketbook when something wet started to drip down her neck. A sloshing sensation and then what had to have been a filled to the brim Solo cup of what smelled like rum and coke was poured all over her head.

Standing slowly, Mitchie gave the purse back to the girl.

"I hope nothing got ruined," she said softly.

"Oh, cut the Lifetime bullshit out," Kylie Stiles spoke up for the first time. "You're standing in front of us soaked in soda and rum, _Mitch_. Why are you even trying to _pretend_ you're better than us? You're nobody. You always were." With that, Kylie slipped her hand into Joey's and leaned up and put a sensual kiss on his cheek.

Mitchie felt her eyes and cheeks burn with anger and humiliation. This was supposed to be a fun night, and it had started off so good and now…now she was standing in front of her idols, her old friends and her ex-boyfriend, covered in sticky soda and reeking of alcohol.

"You're not going to _cry_ are you?" Harmony piped in, her voice laced with fake sympathy.

"No," Kylie spoke for her. "She isn't. But I bet she's going to go write a _song_ about it, huh Mitchie?"

And that was it. That was all it took. Her eyes widened with recognition as Mitchie realized that Kylie knew. Joey had _told_ her. The one thing she had been hoping he would be a decent human about, he went and blew it.

No one knew she wrote songs except for Joey. He was the only one she ever told besides her parents. She hated singing in front of people, but Joey would always be able to coax a song out of her. She had actually written a song for their break up, and he had _cried_ when she played it for him. She briefly considered reminding him of that particular fact at that moment, but she refrained. She wasn't sure she could do that without crying. With a brief shake of her head, Mitchie turned around and ran off the field as fast as her legs could take her.

* * *

"Dude, what just _happened_ out there? That was crazy!" Nate Brown exclaimed to his bandmates and friends as they started to put away their instruments after their set.

"They were so mean to that poor girl that was just trying to be nice!" Jason sounded legitimately upset about the entire ordeal. "It was terrible!"

"Girls are bitches," Shane commented off handedly.

"Oh gosh!" Jason suddenly gasped. "You don't think they were mean to her because _we_ were here, do you?"

"Probably, Jase," Shane slung his guitar over his shoulder. "I'm just glad we're getting out of here. I hate high school girls."

"You hate _everyone_," Nate rolled his eyes. "You're not even the least bit concerned for that girl that we just saw had _soda_ dumped on her?"

"You don't even know what she did, Nate! She probably deserved it."

A few beats of silence passed, then, "No one deserves that," Jason said in a rare serious tone. "And we're going to have bigger issues than you throwing a few tantrums if you really believe that." Jason gave one last disparaging look at Shane and grabbed his guitar and walked off the backstage area and headed towards the bus.

"What the hell was that?" Shane asked Nate, unbelieving that Jason had just acted that way towards him.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Now Nate looked just as mad as Jason.

"What did I do?"

"Don't you remember the first day we met Jason?"

"We met him at Camp Rock," Shane said in an obvious tone.

"Yeah. After kids two years older dumped a cup of juice on him because he could play guitar better than them." Nate could only shake his head at Shane. "We stood up for him then. And now you're saying that this girl, who just had the same thing happen to her, _deserved_ it? She looked like she was _helping_ someone. You don't even know that girl. And…I don't even know you anymore. Meet us at the bus, if you think there's room for your ego." Nate said and walked out, leaving Shane alone.

"Fuck!" He swore to himself. He kicked his guitar case, tipping it over before sitting on an amp, rubbing his hands over his face. He didn't mean to alienate Jason and Nate; he had honestly forgotten how he had met Jason. He forgot that before Connect 3, Jason had been just as big of an outcast as that girl he saw had apparently been. It seemed so long ago to him - Camp Rock, meeting the guys, all of it.

He felt a slight twinge of guilt for the girl that he had judged so rashly earlier. Nate was right, he didn't know that girl at all. And he knew high school girls were catty and mean; that girl probably didn't deserve it at all.

"Shane?" A feminine voice caused him to look up sharply and see the intruder.

"Yeah? Who is it?" He called out tiredly.

"Oh, it's me, Kylie. Kylie Stiles." _Oh, great,_ Shane thought miserably. _The last thing I ever wanted to deal with tonight was Sookie Stiles' daughter who has to be just as big of a bitch as her mother_.

"Oh, Sookie's daughter."

"Yup, that's me!" Her voice was laced with fake kindness.

"Well, are you going to come in, or…?" She was currently standing hidden behind some amps and drums piled up.

"Sure! Of course! I just have some people who want to meet- …where's the rest of the guys?"

_Please leave_, Shane thought desperately, but instead, what came out was, "Out in the tour bus. I bet you can still catch them if you hurry."

"Oh, no, you're more than fine all by yourself!" Shane bit back a groan. "So, are you-"

That was all Shane heard as the girl stepped out from behind the amps. Her and two girls that followed her were the same girls that had dumped the soda on the girl's head. _Of course they are_, Shane realized. He had been fairly far away but it wasn't hard discerning the same gold dress on the girl that had poured the soda and the hot pink dress that was on the girl he now knew as Kylie, who had been egging the entire situation on, even going so far as to hand the cup of soda to the girl in the gold.

"Shane? Are you listening to me, Shane?" Kylie had sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her face, but her tapping foot belied her annoyance with his lack of attention.

"Sorry, Kaitlin, what did you say?" A look of pure loathing flitted across her face at Shane's almost-innocent name mix up.

"It's Kylie, Shaney."

"Oh. Don't call me that." Shane didn't know what to do. Was it his duty to say something to these cruel girls? Or would that be overstepping some weird boundary he had as a celebrity, and not a student? Did he even _care_ what happened to that girl?

He knew the answer was yes. He _did_ care what about what had happened to that girl he saw out there. He had only gone to public high school for two years, he would've already graduated had he stayed. He remembered how hard it was to be anyone except for who others wanted you to be, and yet he saw that girl out there not only help someone who it didn't even look like she knew, but she stood her ground after she got publicly humiliated. So yes, he knew he wanted to say something to these girls. But what to say?

"Anyway, we were wondering if you wanted to come to my house afterwards. The other guys are totally welcome, too, and I mean, it's not going to be a _huge_ thing. Not too many people – just the ones that matter."

"So, no one that had soda just dumped on their head then?" Shane asked slowly.

"Oh, you saw that?" Kylie looked amazingly proud of herself, and the two girls she was with actually high-fived each other. "Nope. She _definitely_ won't be there. I doubt she'll show her face at Grant High ever again." When Shane didn't respond right away, Kylie felt like she had to continue. "You wouldn't have liked her anyway – she was _so_ fake. A complete poser that had no business ever hanging with people like us."

"Us?" Shane echoed.

"You know – people like us! People who _are_ someone. She's a nothing – always has been and always will."

Shane felt his blood start to boil. It was becoming quite clear to him that this girl hadn't done anything. And in a rare burst of self-empowerment – at least, rare as of late – Shane stood up and grabbed his guitar.

"So, I'll see you at the mansion?"

_The mansion? _Shane wondered. _People really refer to their home as 'the mansion'?_ He could only shake his head.

"Oh, about that, no."

"No?" Kylie whined and the two girls behind her pouted. "Are you sure? I bet my mom would really love to see you."

"I'm definitely sure," Shane paused as he walked by her. "And by the way, for the record, I'm not sure if you'd classify me as a 'somebody,' but people like _me_ – and that's to say people that would _never_ do what you just did to that girl out there – would _never_ hang out with people like _you_." He gave her and her friends a scathing look. "Grow up."

He left them behind the curtains on the outside stage as he snuck off with his guitar on his back. He started to make his way to the tour bus when he decided he didn't feel like going back just yet. Those girls had really riled him up and he needed some time to blow off steam, and he imagined that Jason and Nate needed the same.

He was walking around the edges of the school when he saw a door that had been propped open. _What the hell_, he thought. _I haven't been inside a public school in years. _He double checked to make sure he had his cell phone still on him, then slipped inside, carefully propping the door up as it had been.

"Whoa," he breathed. The school did not have the feel of a public school – in fact, everything screamed 'private.' Huge lockers, even bigger classrooms, state of the art technology everywhere he looked – the school was amazing, ten times better than the one he had attended.

He wandered along for a while, humming to himself, enjoying the way the sound echoed off the empty halls. Suddenly, he realized that his voice wasn't the only sound in the hallway. Strains from a piano and a soft, barely audible voice, reached through the school's halls too. He followed them quickly, intending just to take a quick look and then get out, figuring enough time had passed for him to go back to the tour bus anyway. But as he got closer to the voice, he found himself oddly intrigued. It was a female voice and he couldn't make out the words exactly, but the piano was solid and the tune was haunting.

He finally reached what he had to assume was their auditorium. The lights weren't on, just the emergency lights lit up the floor, and led straight to a piano sitting at the base of the stage with a girl sitting before it, intently focusing on the keys.

He couldn't make her out too good, but in the dim lights he saw that she was wearing sweatpants and an athletic tee, with long hair that appeared to be wet hanging down her back.

_"There were sounds in my head – little voices whispering… that I should go and this should end, oh and I found myself listening…"_ Her voice was beautiful, albeit soft, but the lyrics struck a chord with him and she continued to sing, he found himself commenting before he could stop himself.

"You're not half bad."

The girl whipped around, but he still couldn't see any characteristics of her face.

"Who's there? Who is that?" When she got no immediate response, her tone turned from one of someone being startled to that of someone resigned. "Listen, I'm having a bad enough night, as I'm sure you know, so if you'd just let me leave, I'll get my stuff…"

"No!" He spoke up. "I mean, you don't have to leave. It's just…um, did you just take a shower?" He had no idea what inspired him to ask that question, it just popped out.

"Yeah, well," she let out a harsh laugh. "Didn't want to go home smelling like alcohol." Shane felt his heart drop for a minute – this piano playing girl was drunk? "And I'm pretty sure that was rum in that cup of soda they dropped on me," she continued, oblivious to his disappointment.

It suddenly all connected for Shane.

"That was _you_? You were the girl they poured the soda on?"

"Uh, yes, but…what? Who _are _you?"

"Oh, it's Shane…" he took a leap and told her more. "Shane Gray."

"Shane Gray," she repeated, sounding skeptical. She let out a big sigh. "Is that you, Mark? Did Melissa put you up to this, because I _really_ don't want to have to do something-"

"No, no, it's Shane Gray." He realized she probably couldn't see him, like he couldn't see her. He took out his phone and opened it, holding it up to his face. "See? Shane Gray. The real one. Not some Mark."

He heard her sharp intake of air as she saw his face in the glow of his cell phone.

"Of course you are."

"What, you still don't believe me? What do I have to do, _sing_ for you?"

"No, no, it's not that. I believe you. It's just more of a 'of-course-I'd-meet-Shane-Gray-on-the-worst-night-ever' sort of thing."

"Oh," he commented awkwardly. "Well, I meant what I said. You're not half bad."

"Um, thanks, I think." She started packing up her things, grabbing a plastic bag with her soaked dress in it.

"Why are you singing?"

"In general? Or why am I singing at this particular moment?" She teased lightly, still scrambling to get a notebook that had managed to fall under the piano.

"Well, that song. It was good, but, you know. Why?"

She stopped trying to scramble to get her things and stood up straight. He still couldn't see her face, but he knew she was looking directly at him.

"Sometimes you just have to sing to remind yourself."

"Remind yourself of what?"

"Of why you made certain choices." Her voice wavered on the last word and she shook her head a little bit, as if to clear it. "It was nice to meet you," she said finally, and darted out of the auditorium through a side entrance before Shane could even get her name.

He wanted to go after her and ask her what she meant – after all, what kind of choices could she have made that she'd regret? But he also wanted to get back to the tour bus.

He walked to the bus in a sort of trance, unaware of how he actually got there in the end.

"Guys," he said as way of greeting to Nate and Jason. They both just looked at him, remaining silent. He took a deep breath. "Jase, I wanted to apologize. I forgot how we met at Camp Rock. Nate had to remind me." He had the decency to look ashamed. "I just talked to that girl, the one that had soda dumped on her. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve it at all. I know…I know I've been sort of hard to deal with. Maybe I just need to remember why I made some of the choices I did."

He gave them all a half smile and then walked to his room in the back of the bus, grabbing a notepad and a pencil on his way.

"What just happened?" Jason looked as shocked as he could. Nate just gave him a small smile.

"I think we might've just seen the dawning of a new era."

* * *

Mitchie slipped into her house a little past 11. She quietly made her way up to her room, flopping down on her bed.

_What just happened?_ She asked herself, bewildered. _Shane Gray talked to me. And he seemed…normal. And I talked back to him! Why did I do that? But he did say I wasn't half bad, so that's got to be good, right? I don't think he could see me though, at least not well. But he _definitely_ saw me get publicly humiliated. Great, of all the moments of my life for a celebrity to see, he had to see me then, getting soda and rum dumped all over me. But he seemed a little interested when I blathered on about reminding yourself and singing, or singing to remind yourself…I can't even remember what I said. It's a good thing I didn't tell him my name, that's for sure. _


	4. I'm Ready

**Author's Note: Hi again! Ok, so it wasn't quite a week between updates, but still: longer than intended. Sorry about that. Anyway, here's chapter 3 – Mitchie finally makes it to Camp Rock. I promise you'll get more updates in the coming week, especially since I'm going on vacation July 9-19. (Anyone ever been to Vermont? Nice there? Lord, I hope so.) **

**Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed this story, and definitely the person who sent me a message. It is so appreciated, you don't even know. Thank you thank you thank you!**

Monday rolled around, and with the reminder that she was going to Camp Rock in less than a week, the last few days of school were oddly bearable for Mitchie. She got the occasional joke about Chaos, but for the most part people ignored her, and that was fine with her.

As she was cleaning out her locker on Wednesday afternoon, as Thursday was a half day and she knew she wouldn't want to spend one extra moment in the school than she had to, she got a tap on the shoulder.

She let out a sigh and took a deep breath. She knew things had been too quiet around school – of course someone would choose now to harass her. She turned around slowly and was surprised by what she saw.

"Hi, Mitchie, right?" It was the frizzy haired girl that she had helped at Chaos. What she didn't know was why she was talking to her or why she seemed confused as to who she was.

"Yeah, that's me." Mitchie stared blankly.

"Oh, um, I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for helping me out at that party thing the other night. I've only been here for a few weeks, but you were sort of the first person to be really nice to me." Mitchie was awed. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't had someone be truly nice to her in a long time, but she sort of felt like crying at this girl's blatant gratitude.

"You're welcome," she replied softly. "People here can be cruel." She was surprised when the girl just shrugged.

"They're like that everywhere."

"Where are you from? I mean, why'd you transfer here so late in the year?" That would explain why Mitchie had never seen her before Chaos.

"Oh, China. They have year round school over there and I thought I'd come in for a while just to see where I was with this curriculum." At Mitchie's incredulous look, she continued. "My dad got stationed over there for a while for work. I'm not Chinese or anything. I'm Sierra."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Not-Chinese-Sierra. I'm Mitchie, but you seemed to already know that."

"Yeah, um, well, I don't know if you know this, but people sort of talk about you a lot." Mitchie let out a bark of laughter at Sierra's innocent tone.

"Yeah, they definitely do. I'm surprised you even came to talk to me if you thought any of it was true." This was the moment Mitchie expected her to insult her, or at least make some snide comment. Instead, she got another bashful shrug.

"You deserved to be thanked. And, besides, I'm not too sure how trustworthy the people around here are."

A smile spread across Mitchie's face as she realized she might've just found one single person at Grant High who didn't hate her. She ripped down the last picture of Connect 3 from her locker and turned back to Sierra.

"You walking home?"

"Uh, well, I'm driving actually. You want a ride?"

"That'd be great," Mitchie said. And she actually meant it.

"So what are you doing for the summer?" Mitchie asked once they were situated in Sierra's 2000 Corolla. It might not have fit in with all the Lexus' in the parking lot, but it sure beat Mitchie's lack of a car.

"Probably just hang out. Get used to the area. I've been living in China for the past four years, so it's weird to adjust to American culture again."

"Well, I'd offer to show you around, but trust me – you do not want to be seen around town with me. And besides, I leave Friday."

"Oh really? Where are you going?"

"Camp Rock, I don't know if you've heard of it. It's up in NorCal, but it's this-"

"Really great music camp! Anyone that wants to make it in the world of up and coming teen stars go there!"

"So you _have_ heard of it," Mitchie said with a laugh. She was surprised how easy it was to tell Sierra that she was going to some place devoted to music, which is something she would have normally kept to herself. But, she realized that Kylie had probably told the entire school about her writing songs by now, so it's nothing that Sierra wouldn't find out anyway.

"That's so cool that you're going! I'm sure you'll have tons of fun."

"Yeah, well, we'll see. It _is_ still 6 weeks in the wilderness." From there the conversation turned to even more frivolous topics, with Mitchie getting Sierra to say random phrases in Mandarin, just to laugh at how silly they sounded to her.

They exchanged numbers as she dropped Mitchie off, in case they didn't get to see each other the next day. Mitchie offered to call once she got back in August and suggested that maybe they could do something around then – but nothing too public, she promised.

She ran upstairs and flopped on her bed, relishing in the fact that school was almost over. Just one more half day and she was home free and going to Camp Rock!

* * *

Thursday passed as Mitchie thought it would: a small (hah!) pep rally, some idle threats about what people would do to Mitchie this summer if she didn't stay out of their way, you know, the usual.

"I can't believe this is happening," Mitchie said for the tenth time in as many minutes as she folded laundry with her mother, getting ready to pack.

"I can't believe you are still saying that," her mom joked back. "But, really, Mitch, I think this'll be good for you. It'll be nice to get out of this town."

"You can say that again." Mitchie's face fell as she thought about the town that had turned against her. "I can't wait. I'm bringing everything I own and just moving in, Mom."

"I think they might have rules against that sweetheart, but I'll support you with anything you do," Connie said with a grin.

Later that night as Mitchie shoved the last of her sweatshirts into her suitcase, she let out one last happy squeal before flopping into bed.

Her last thoughts before she let sleep take her, were "This is really happening."

* * *

"This place is _huge_!"

They had been driving around what had to have been a small ocean, not just a scenic lake, for over twenty minutes before coming to the entrance to Camp Rock. Mitchie could just make out the sprawling cabins in the distance as Connie pulled the catering van up to the side of the mess hall.

"I'm glad you like it – this is home for the next 6 weeks!" Connie started gathering things out of the back of the van to bring in as Mitchie grabbed all of her bags. "Now, we're in Staff Cabin 3, which is I think just down that path there. Choose whichever bed you like, but, honey, if you make friends, don't feel like you have to keep your old mom company, okay? This is _your_ summer."

Mitchie thanked her and started dragging her oversized bags as well as her guitar strapped to her back down the winding path. Her bangs kept flopping in her eyes as she stumbled her way, and the bags in addition to the guitar were starting to way her down. Suddenly, a hand was on her elbow, slowing her to a stop.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You look like you're going to have a coronary," a friendly voice commented as Mitchie let one bag rest on the ground and swept her bangs to the side.

"You're not wrong," she joked, inwardly cursing herself. What a first impression she was making on a fellow camper – she had to be all sweaty and flushed, and almost killing herself trying to carry her weight in luggage.

"I'm Caitlyn," the girl said, tucking some wavy dirty blonde hair behind her ears. "Need some help?"

"I'm Mitchie, and you have _no_ idea how grateful I'd be."

Caitlyn took her guitar and slung it over her shoulder and also grabbed a backpack, leaving Mitchie with a huge suitcase and messenger bag.

"So where are we lugging this stuff to?"

"Um, staff cabin 3, I think." Mitchie peered into the woods, trying to see the cabin from her vantage point.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were staff." Mitchie laughed out loud.

"Not me, don't worry. I'm a camper. But my mom is the caterer this year, so I'm bunking with her."

"Sweet! What I wouldn't give to not have to share a room with three teenage girls – I annoy _myself_, thank you very much. I don't need three girls PMSing around me."

Mitchie had to laugh in agreement with that, and the two made small talk as they finally got to the cabin. Mitchie couldn't believe that Caitlyn had been attending Camp Rock for three years so far. She said that she had to keep coming back – there was still so much to learn!

"So you're not squealing like a fan girl, so you either don't know or you're a lot cooler than I gave you credit for," Caitlyn said as she carefully leaned Mitchie's guitar against a wall of the cabin.

"Well, I'm probably a _lot_ cooler than you give me credit for," Mitchie joked, dumping the rest of the bags unceremoniously on the floor. "But, for argument's sake, let's say I don't know whatever you're talking about."

"Connect 3 is teaching here this summer. Apparently it's some 'getting back to their roots' thing." Mitchie's jaw dropped. "Are you going to start screaming? Just let me know so I can block my ears or something."

"You can't be serious."

"As a heart attack." Caitlyn still looked a little unsure of the situation. "What, do you like, detest them or something?"

"N-no," Mitchie was having a hard time believing that she'd be_ thisclose_ to Shane Gray again. For the second time in as many weeks. "I'm just on Connect 3 overload, I think."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a…it's a long story. Anyway. Now that you helped me with all my stuff, is there anything I can do for you? Did you already get all your stuff settled in?" Caitlyn smiled, but luckily let the subject drop.

"Nah, I flew in yesterday. I'm all set. You _can_ come eat with me though – assuming your mom has lunch ready so far. If not, that's cool."

"Oh! I totally forgot!" Mitchie slapped a hand to her forehead. "I should probably go help my mom set up some stuff. I'll try to catch up to you at lunch though, if that's cool?"

"Why don't I come help you and your mom out? I've got nothing else to do, and trust me, it's not often that Camp Rock gets new blood. It's usually just the same group of kids, getting older with each other. Yeah, there's new kids every year, but they're rarely ever our age. You're going to be hot news!"

"You don't…um, you don't mind that my mom's just the caterer?"

"Um, no? Should I? I mean, don't get me wrong – you're going to get your fair share of people that will probably think less of you. But it doesn't really matter to me. Just keep your head up, you'll be fine." Caitlyn nudged Mitchie playfully with her elbow. "Now can we _please_ go eat? Or at least prepare ourselves to eat?"

Mitchie felt a smile stretch over her face. This summer was going to be great.

"Sure, c'mon."

Caitlyn got along great with Mitchie's mom. Connie was actually the first one to recognize Caitlyn's famous lineage.

"Caitlyn Gellar? You wouldn't be related to Donnie and Marie Gellar, would you?"

"Mom," Mitchie interrupted before Caitlyn could answer. "Those are the _Osmonds_."

"They get that a lot," Caitlyn interjected with a grin. "But yeah, they're my parents."

"Oh, wow," Connie said. "You're a very blessed girl."

"I'm confused. Who are your parents? Am I missing something?"

"They're movie producers," Caitlyn filled her in. "They're pretty bummed I'm more into producing music rather than movies, but what are you gonna do?"

"'Oh wow' is right." Mitchie reiterated her mom. "But that's way cool."

"Well, come on girls, if you want to help I wouldn't say no to some help cutting the watermelon into slices." The two girls moved to grab knives and attack the large fruit. "Not too thick, Mitchie. I know you!"

The girls laughed together as they butchered the melons. Mitchie hadn't realized how much she had missed having someone to talk to about all the menial things she'd dish about with her friends. They didn't get into any heavy topics, but it was still refreshing. Caitlyn was currently warning her about some of the camp's less friendly patrons.

"Tess Tyler I'd say is the biggest one to watch out for. She hates it when anyone even has the opportunity to be better than she is, and I would _not_ put it above her to sabotage anyone that she thought might win Final Jam."

"Sounds like high school."

"It sort of is – just imagine you go to high school with the sons and daughters of the most important people in the entertainment industry, and you're all competing with each other, and you're all used to being the best."

"Done." Mitchie said instantly. How was this different than her normal life?

"Hah, well that's some imagination you've got. Let's see if you can survive the real thing." Caitlyn looked around the kitchen for Mitchie's mom. "Connie, did you want us to bring the watermelon out when we were done with it?"

"That'd be great, girls. And feel free to just grab a seat after, I think we've got things covered back here."

"You don't have to do this. I mean, help me." Mitchie tried to give Caitlyn a way out. "No need to have people see you mixing with the help." She tried to add a cheerful smile, but she knew she had come up short.

"Don't be silly, of course I'll help. Besides, I've had kitchen duty _quite_ a few times in the past couple of years. It looks like I just got a head start on it this year."

The two grabbed trays and went to push the doors open to the mess hall when Mitchie stopped in her tracks, looking through the small porthole window on the swinging doors.

"What's wrong? You coming, Mitchie?"

"Remember when you said this was _just like_ high school?" Caitlyn nodded confusedly. "Well, it's about to get a _lot_ more like it."

Sitting in the center of the cafeteria was Kylie Stiles, surrounded by eager campers hanging off of her every word.


	5. The Show

**Author's Note: Ok, so um, first of all: oops. I don't own anything. Consider this a formal disclaimer from the first chapters until the last. Just throwing that out there. Excellent.**

**I'm glad people are enjoying my story! It's insane how much effort and love I've poured into this story, so having people like it is a fantastic payback. So enjoy this next chapter, and feel free to download the chapter's title song – The Show, by Lenka – on my Twitter (/sammmmanthaj). Also, um, feel free to follow my personal Twitter (/the_resolution) but be forewarned that it is pretty boring. A lot of drunk musings and a lot of ridiculous thoughts that cross my mind. But I'd love to get to know more of you! :)**

**

* * *

**

Caitlyn followed Mitchie's line of sight towards the girl sitting in the center of the room. She had porcelain skin that seemed to glow and had shiny dark brown hair coming to her shoulders. She was wearing a low cut halter top and tiny cutoff shorts; she instantly commandeered all the attention in the room.

"Do you _know_ her?" Caitlyn studied the girl. "And what is she _wearing_?"

"I go to high school with her," Mitchie said slowly, then decided just to bite the bullet. "That's Kylie Stiles. Sookie Stiles' daughter."

"And you go to _school_ with her? I guess you don't need that great of an imagination. You must _live_ Camp Rock!"

"Well, let's hope this summer doesn't go like my existence outside of Camp Rock. Kylie and I don't exactly get along."

"Does she get along with anyone? I heard she her mom's a _bitch_. Like, near impossible to work with. Wouldn't surprise me if the apple didn't fall far from the tree."

Mitchie could only sigh. So much for a pleasant summer.

"I'll see you at the end of the summer, Caitlyn."

"What? Why?"

"Trust me, having her see you hang out with me is social suicide." Caitlyn just grinned at her and stood her ground. "Aren't you going to go around the front now?" Mitchie asked when she had yet to move.

"And miss _that_? Are you kidding me? And besides, this is _your_ summer, not hers. We're going to go out there and take a mental picture when she sees you. And we'll save it forever, and whenever we have to laugh, we'll remember it and get the giggles. It'll be awesome. Now, are you ready?"

She went to push the door open whether Mitchie was ready or not when she paused.

"Looks like we might not get that mental picture anyway."

Tess Tyler was making her way into the room with her own lemmings trailing behind her. The rivalry between Sookie Stiles and TJ Tyler was _legendary_. They competed for everything – from Grammy nominations to getting the more attractive young models in their music videos. It looked like that rivalry was going to continue another generation, because the look on who Mitchie had pegged as Tess Tyler's face was _not_ one of delight.

"Come on, now's our chance. And we do _not_ want to miss this, either!"

Caitlyn pushed the door open and the two made their way out. Sure enough, very few heads turned in their direction – most eyes were glued to the ensuing train wreck of Kylie and Tess. They slipped their trays of fruit onto an open food table and started slithering through the crowds – Caitlyn mumbled something about getting a "better view."

"I believe that's my table," Tess announced as she got closer to Kylie. Kylie gave her a condescending smile.

"Believe whatever you want." There was a pause where the two seemed to give each other once-overs.

"Haven't seen you here before." Tess was the one to break the silence.

"Yes, well, some of us don't need a camp to become talented. We're actually born that way." A wave of gasps spread across the room. Mitchie assumed that people didn't generally talk to Tess Tyler that way.

"And yet you decided to grace us with your presence this year." Tess looked a little put out that Kylie was actually dishing it back to her, but she persisted.

"Thought you'd all want to see what _real_ talent sounds like."

That's when it happened. She didn't mean to, but it was just so absurd, she had to. That was the moment that Mitchie snorted. _Loud_.

In the near silence of the mess hall, her derisive snort was heard loud and clear and attracted the attention of pretty much everyone, including Tess and Kylie.

"Oh, this is _rich_," Kylie said loudly, staring at Mitchie. She got up and took a few steps towards her. "You _do_ know what 'rich' means, right Mitchie? I mean, I know you're not familiar with the term, but you must've heard stories."

"I'm about as familiar with the term 'rich' as you are with the term 'talent.'" Mitchie wanted to clap her hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant for it to come out! It was an innocent mistake. Okay, so it was just a regular mistake. Whatever.

Caitlyn started to snicker at that point, spurring a whole bunch of people to join in. Tess, although giving Mitchie a somewhat disgusted look, seemed to enjoy that Kylie was getting laughed at.

"Hah. Funny, Bitchy. But, really. Who'd you sleep with to get to come here? I never _did_ believe Joey when he said you were frigid. Besides, lockers tell the truth, right?"

"Just because _you_ slept with my ex-boyfriend within the first month of dating doesn't mean I did, Kylie." Mitchie was getting madder and madder. She didn't even care what she said to Kylie anymore – it didn't matter anyways. This summer was going to be just like high school, where she was ostracized.

"Who do you think you are?" Kylie got into Mitchie's face. "I thought we already established that you're a _nobody_, Mitchie Torres. No one cares what you think, say, or do."

Mitchie went to give another sassy retort when Caitlyn caught sight of the camp's director, Brown, and a few of the other assistant director's and program director's.

"It's not worth it," she said softly, pulling Mitchie's arm gently and guiding her away from Kylie. "And you are _so_ telling me about all that after Brown is done giving us this spiel!"

Sure enough, Brown stood up in front of the crowd that had gathered in the mess hall and proceeded to tell them all about the basic Camp Rock rules – in your cabins by 11, no lights out time but if you were tired the next morning, that was your fault, no wandering into the woods alone, etc. etc. It was pretty standard camp rules. He instructed them to get settled in and then meet by the 'beach stage' at around 4 for more Camp Rock specifics and to get their schedules for the duration of camp.

Caitlyn barely waited for him to get the last word out before she grabbed Mitchie's hand and pulled her out of the mess hall and towards her cabin.

"Okay, so my roommates will probably be back soon, but you _so_ did not tell me the entire story about Kylie Stiles!"

Mitchie gave a little shrug. "Sorry?"

"Sorry? Oh man, I've never seen someone show up Tess that much, and then you go and show _that_ person up? It was probably the most dramatic first day of camp ever. And it's only 1 o clock! Do not apologize, Mitchie. It was badass."

"Not exactly what I was going for, but thanks, I think." Mitchie blushed. "I didn't really mean to say those things to Kylie. I don't know, lately I seem to have _no_ filter when it comes to what I think and what I say. It's terrible."

"That was _not_ terrible! That was amazing. Just saying."

"Well, let's see if it's still amazing by 4 o clock when I officially have no friends at Camp Rock."

"Hey, you got me. And I admit that I'm not the most popular girl at Camp Rock, but I don't suck. Just saying." She got Mitchie to crack a smile.

"Well, I will take what I can get. Not that you're not awesome! 'Cause you are. _Just saying_." The two girls collapsed into laugher together, sitting across from each other on Caitlyn's bed.

"So, do I get to know the entire dish with Kylie?" Caitlyn hurried on at Mitchie's hesitant face. "You totally do not need to tell me if you don't want to. Trust me, I can understand what it's like to be on your guard with what you say. You don't want it to get used against you, and I get that."

Mitchie thought about it for a moment, before deciding that she'd at least rather have _someone_ at the camp have her side of it before they all heard whatever warped bull Kylie was spewing.

"No. I mean, okay. I mean it's okay." Mitchie made a face at her confused babbling. She tried again. "It's fine. It'll be nice to talk about it with someone else. And _trust me_ when I say you'll be the first to talk about this with me."

From there, Mitchie launched into a slightly abridged version of the high school drama that had been her life for the past few months. She didn't really elaborate on the reasons why she dumped Joey, and Caitlyn didn't press. She told her all about her public humiliation at Chaos, but decided to leave the weird Shane Gray encounter out of her story. She doubted it'd be relevant in the future anyway. When she was finished, she flopped down on Cait's bed and let her head hang over the edge. Caitlyn mirrored her a moment later.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Soda?"

"And rum. It was awful."

"In front of Connect 3?"

"Yeah."

"I guess I'd be all 'Connect 3'd out' too if that happened to me."

"I mean, I doubt he'd be able to recognize me." She hoped desperately that that was the case. "But still, _I_ know."

"He?"

"They. Them. Connect 3."

"Hm. You said 'he.'"

"I meant 'they.'"

"Sure you did. You know, I didn't peg you for a fangirl right away. I can see that I was mistaken." Caitlyn gave her a mock-inquisitive look. "So, which one is it? Which one is the dreamboat that you're worried that he saw you?"

"I plead the fifth. Besides, I meant 'they.'"

"Yup. Hmmm…I'd peg you for a 'Jason' kind of girl."

"Shut up!" Mitchie laughed and grabbed a pillow and whacked Caitlyn with it.

"Guess I'll just have to see which one you fawn over in classes!" Caitlyn sat up and straightened her hair out from the pillow whack. "I hope we're in the same classes. I mean, I have Advanced Production & Mixing, but I'm going to be helping out with the Beginner Production, so we'll have that together at least."

"Ugh, I hope so. I need at least one friendly face."

Cait was about to tell her more about the different classes she'd probably have to take as a beginning older student when the door to the cabin opened and three girls walked in.

"Did you see the look on her face? You'd think someone slapped her. Or told her that she was wearing last year's Gucci sunglasses," a tall, pretty, African American girl was telling the other two girls as they entered. They all stopped short when they saw Mitchie sitting on Caitlyn's bed.

"Guys," Caitlyn stood up to introduce them. "This is M-"

"The girl from the cafeteria!" The tall girl exclaimed, smiling brightly. "Girl, you were so fierce in there! Completely badass."

"That's what I said!" Cait insisted.

"I'm Mitchie." She extended her hand to shake it but was surprised when the girl embraced her as if they had been friends forever.

"I'm Lola. That's Stacy and Jenny." She paused, seemingly in thought. "Mitchie. That's a cute name. Is it short for anything?"

"Nah. My parents just like boys names for girls – they did me a favor and named me Mitchie instead of Mitch."

"Well, Mitchie, we were just talking about how awesome your Kylie Stiles diss was. She's a total diva," Stacy said with a big smile.

"Oh, do you know her?"

"She went out with my brother for like, a millisecond. He dropped her once he realized how completely _psychotic_ she was."

"Wait, she dated Chad Michael?" The other girl, Jenny, looked outraged.

"Wait. Chad Michael _Murray_?" Mitchie was in shock.

"Yup." Stacy seemed nonplussed and just extended her hand. "Stacy Murray, soon to be professional dancer."

Mitchie shook her hand but her head was spinning. It really _was_ the same as high school, although she had to admit that she went to school with more just plain old _rich_ kids versus celebrities. It never got easier being introduced to someone that practically was a celebrity, though.

"Did we miss anything once we left?" Caitlyn asked the other girls as Mitchie stood, still in a type of shock.

"Nah, not really." Lola was digging through drawers for something. "Tess and Kylie did this strange stare down thing, but it was pretty tame after Mitchie stopped dishin' out the sass. Got it!" She lifted a shiny shrug sweater out of the third drawer she rifled in and pulled it on. "Anyway, we were thinking about heading down to the beach stage. You guys wanna come with?"

Mitchie shot Caitlyn a helpless look. She wanted to make friends but she didn't want everyone else to suffer just because they were _nice_ to her. And while Caitlyn had made the choice to remain friends with her, she also knew the whole story – these girls did not. Caitlyn let out a tiny sigh and rolled her eyes, but she smiled at Mitchie nonetheless.

"Mitchie has this _crazy_ idea that you guys want to be friends with Kylie Stiles this summer." All four girls, including Mitchie, shot her a confused look. "Basically," she explained, "be friends with Mitchie and Kylie will probably treat you like dirt. _Don't_ hang out with Mitchie, and yet refuse to kiss her ass, Kylie will probably _still_ treat you like dirt."

"Um, I choose the option where I don't have to kiss anyone's ass. And where Mitchie doesn't get sassy with me." Jenny looked almost afraid of her.

"Deal," Mitchie said as she felt a huge grin spread across her face.

"So, let's go not kiss some ass all together!" Caitlyn grabbed Mitchie and pulled her out the door before she could even comprehend what was happening.

* * *

There were already a few groups of kids milling around in front of the beach stage where Brown had told them to meet. Caitlyn, Lola and the other girls seemed to know _everyone_.

"Lola, querida," a cute African American boy slung his arm around her shoulders and grinned adoringly at her.

"Barron, I saw you an hour ago."

"Yes, but now you have cute girls following in your wake." He raised his eyebrows playfully at Mitchie.

"Barron, this is Mitchie. Mitchie, this is Barron the Flirt. That's his official name."

Mitchie held up her hand to shake his but he quickly grabbed it and brought her close to his chest and started dancing her around in circles.

"_That's amore…_" He started singing in his best Dean Martin voice.

"Wow," Mitchie said in between giggles. "Spanish and Italian. You really _do_ know how to flirt."

Before he could respond, a catty voice interrupted them.

"Careful there, Barron." Kylie stepped closer to them. "Don't know _what_ you'll catch from that one there."

Mitchie instantly dropped his hand and turned her back on Kylie, walking back to Caitlyn. She just didn't want to deal with her.

"What, no snappy retort this time?"

"Leave me alone, Kylie." Mitchie reached Caitlyn and just closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm just going to go for a quick walk. I'll be back before you know it, I just need to…"

"Yeah, it's cool," Caitlyn smiled sympathetically as Mitchie took off for the woods. She just needed to clear her head. She hadn't got more then fifteen feet into the woods when a hand was on her shoulder.

"I said leave me alone!" Mitchie whirled around, completely expecting Kylie Stiles. What she got was so much worse.

"Um, okay." Shane Gray turned and started walking away. "And people say _I_ have an attitude problem," he muttered.

"No, wait! I'm sorry." Mitchie scrambled to catch up to him. "I thought you were someone else, I really didn't mean to…you know. Yell at you."

"Why, 'cause I'm _Shane Gray_?" He shot back sarcastically, taking Mitchie aback.

"Sorry to break it to you, Popstar, but I would've apologized to anyone. You're not that special." She shook her head in disappointment as she stepped around him. _Of course, he's still the same jerk you see in the media, Mitchie. One halfway normal conversation in the dark doesn't somehow make him a saint,_ she told herself mentally.

Shane let out a sort of strangled groan behind her before catching up to her.

"Wait! Well, now it's my turn to apologize." He gently stopped her with a hand on her arm. She tried to ignore the tingles that it sent shooting up her spine. She looked at him expectantly, confused when he didn't start speaking.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"_Well_, usually when someone says it's their turn to apologize, that's the time when they do it."

"Oh, right. Um, I'm sorry. That was rude of me." He seemed to study her for a minute. "Do I know you?"

"Me?" Mitchie gulped but decided she wasn't going to mention their awkward conversation from the night of Chaos. No need to rehash that and get his pity friendship. "No, I don't think so. I'm nobody."

"Nobody, huh?" He started walking with her back to the beach area. "Well, Nobody, I was actually gonna suggest that we head back to the beach stage when I found you wandering around. Do you do that a lot? Wander aimlessly in the woods?" They had reached the edge of the woods, yet were still concealed by branches as they stopped.

"Who says it was aimless?" _Stop flirting with him, Mitchie!_ She mentally chastised herself.

"Touché," he said with a grin. "Well, this is where I'll leave you. I have a feeling that not every girl would be so blasé about seeing me."

"Not every girl is like me."

"I believe that." He was giving her another intense look. "I'll see you around…" He waited for Mitchie to fill in her name. However, she was _not_ about to play that game.

"Nobody," she filled in with a smile. "And we'll see." And with that she snuck out of the underbrush, seemingly only noticed by Caitlyn who rose her eyebrows and gave her an incredulous look.

"Girl, not even one day into this camp and you are stirring the pot. Was that Shane Gray I just saw?" Caitlyn asked quietly as Mitchie rejoined the group.

"Tell you about it later?"

Caitlyn just laughed.

"As if you had a choice!"

* * *

Shane shook his head as he moved through the woods to get behind the beach stage. He didn't even know what had just happened. He hadn't been about to tell that girl to get back to the beach stage area when he ran into her, he had been trying to _avoid_ going to the beach stage.

But he had stopped her and she had been feisty and he had to admit, he had been a bit of a jerk. For no real good reason. Not for the first time did he realize why he had ended up coming to this stupid camp.

He had been doing really well lately but he knew it wasn't good enough for the record label to forgive all of his past discretions. Besides, Jason and Nate really wanted to come and even though he had apologized and had been doing really well with him for the past week or so, he was still walking on a fairly tight rope. He decided that coming to this camp was the least he could do.

If there were plenty of campers like the girl he had just met, he didn't think camp would be boring. He remembered from the years he had gone that generally Camp Rock was where sons and daughters of the elite rich and famous were sent for the summer so that they were out of their parents' hair. The girls were the worst, if he remembered correctly. There definitely weren't any girls like the one he had just met when _he_ had attended the camp.

She had said her name was 'Nobody.' It was an odd experience for Shane. Usually girls would give their first, middle, and last name upon an introduction to him. Sometimes just first and middle with his last name. Generally, girls wanted to be remembered by him, but not this girl. She seemed to genuinely not want to show up on his radar.

She reminded him of someone, but he couldn't really place his finger on it. It wasn't particularly strong, but it was still there. He knew one thing was for sure though: he _was_ going to see her around this summer, whether she wanted it or not.

"Dude, where have you been? We have to make an introduction in like two minutes!" He was pulled out of the tree line behind the stage by Nate.

"Sorry, was in the woods…girl…it was weird."

"Man, you got attacked in the woods? Girls can be so tacky. It's not like you won't be here all summer." Shane just shook his head, still thinking.

"Didn't get attacked."

"You…oh. _Oh_. You met a girl? How did you _meet_ a girl? We've been here for two hours!"

Shane just grinned at Nate. "We ready to roll?"

They heard Brown announce them over the loudspeakers and Nate gave him a dirty look.

"We are_ so_ talking about this later."

"Let's go!"

Jason, Nate and Shane took the stage with Brown, waving to the now screaming crowd assembled in front of them. Shane's eyes were searching for that girl but he couldn't place her in the crowd. He couldn't even remember what she wearing, if he was being honest, but he would not forget her face in the near future. Or the far.

"How you guys doing?" Nate was an expert at dealing with crowds. He knew what to say to rile them up and how to calm them, and he was just an overall excellent public speaker. Shane was comfortable in front of a crowd, but he knew that Nate had a talent with it than he didn't. Jason wasn't the biggest fan of speaking in public, but every once in a while he'd surprise them all and get engaged. "Alright, we are Connect 3 – I'm Nate, that's Shane, and this is Jason – and we are _really_ excited to have the opportunity to be teaching you guys this summer! Get ready for the hardest, most grueling, most exciting and, more importantly, the _most fun_ 6 weeks of your life!"

He looked over to Shane, whose eyes were still scanning the crowd. Nate cleared his throat to get Shane's attention.

"Shane is going to be telling you about what classes we'll be teaching this summer. Right, Shane?"

"Yup!" He gave up momentarily on finding that mystery girl. "Alright, this summer, you are going to have the pleasure to be working with my man Jason! He is going to be teaching guitar of all levels, so by the end of the summer, you will all be pros. My bro Nate here is going to be working with you on the production side of things as well as advanced drums, so get ready for that! And _I_," he paused for the screaming girls to quiet, "will be responsible for teaching you guys hip hop dance!" More screaming, of course. "And finally, I will also be working with a select few of you on _vocals_. Now, I will have no say in who I work with, that will be up to my Uncle Brown. Impress him, and you'll be sure to impress me."

"He's right, chums!" Brown stepped forward at that point. "Those decisions won't be made 'til about halfway through camp, so don't stress yourselves out at about it now! This is going to be a great summer, I can tell just by lookin' at this great group of campers standing in front of me. Now, if you will all make your way to that table the lovely Dee is standing in front of – there are three lines, divided by age groups. There you will get your schedules as well as a detailed little booklet on Camp Rock rules. Read them and love them, chums. That's going to be your bible for the next 6 weeks. Now if you'll get to stepping' on that, I'm going to step away. I will see you all tonight at dinner and for the first jam! Bring your dancing shoes!"

* * *

Mitchie pulled Caitlyn right into the throng of people rushing to get their schedules, ducking down a little bit.

"What are you doing?" Hissed Caitlyn. "We could've waited ten minutes and _not_ have gotten crushed."

"No thanks," Mitchie said distractedly, still trying to remain small.

"This doesn't happen to have anything to do with a certain guy I saw you standing in the trees with earlier, does it?"

Mitchie tried to pull off an innocent look. "Maybe?"

She had wanted to say _hell yes_ but she figured it wasn't the best time to confess that particular story to Caitlyn. She had saw Shane's eyes scanning the crowd the entire time he was onstage, and while she wasn't sure if he was definitely looking for her, she still spent the entire time crouched down behind Barron and his friend Sander.

They were inching up in line when an elbow almost collided with Mitchie's lowered head as she was pushed back.

"Excuse _you_," Caitlyn said as she steadied Mitchie. Mitchie's mouth dropped as the infamous Tess Tyler turned around to face them.

"Hm. Didn't see you there. Go figure."

"I could say the same to you, but you're hard to miss. How many sparkly vampires did they have to kill to make your shirt?"

"Aw, someone's still jealous that they have no fashion sense," Tess sneered.

"You look like a walking disco ball, how is that fashion sense?" Caitlyn sounded legitimately bewildered. She turned to Mitchie. "Really? Maybe I'm doing this whole 'getting dressed' thing wrong. I thought I was supposed to do it with the lights on?"

Mitchie smiled but reined in her laugh. No need to go pissing off the locals.

"And you are?" Tess turned her attention off Caitlyn.

"Mitchie."

"Mitchie _who_?"

"Mitchie Torres." She gave a confused look to Cait. What did this Tess girl want?

"Who are your parents? I don't recognize _Torres_."

Caitlyn started talking to Mitchie before she could respond. "This is how she makes friends. Isn't it amazing that she doesn't have more?" She turned to Tess. "Stop with the interrogation."

"I don't believe I was _talking_ to you, Gellar. I just wanted to see if maybe Mitchie would like to take a step up on the social ladder. You know, not be pond scum for what I'm sure would be the first time in her life."

"Yeeeeeah," Mitchie cast a sidelong look at Caitlyn as she addressed Tess. "If that's your sales pitch, I'm going to have to say no. I'm perfectly happy as pond scum, thanks."

"Silly me. I thought you wouldn't want to be trampled on by Kylie Stiles for once in your life. You two went to high school together, right?"

Mitchie nodded understandingly. "You want me to sit with you and tell you all the dirt on Kylie that I know so that you can use it against her, but at the same time be completely miserable to me. Nice try, but no thanks."

Before Tess could respond, a voice rang out across the stage.

"Miss Tyler! You've already received your schedule, now stop antagonizing the other campers and move along!" Dee tapped her watch impatiently as Tess rolled her eyes and left the line. Caitlyn just grinned and skipped ahead in line.

"Well, this summer's off to a great start!"

* * *

They eventually got their schedules and Mitchie told Caitlyn that she had to go settle in her stuff, as she hadn't had the opportunity before, and go help her mom prepare dinner. Mitchie was using the alone time as she put her clothes away in various dressers and drawers to go over what had happened in the short time period she had been at Camp Rock, but she found it hard. So much had happened! It was mind boggling.

Her mom walked in as she shoved yet another drawer full with tank tops.

"Hey sweetheart, how is your first day so far?"

"Words can't even describe," Mitchie said truthfully.

"You making a lot of friends? I heard Kylie Stiles was here, don't you go to school with her?"

"Yeah, well, you know, I'm trying to branch out. You always tell me I need to 'get out there,' so I'm making a lot of new friends. Besides, Kylie and I were never that close." _Especially now that she's sleeping with my ex-boyfriend and hellbent on ruining my entire summer_, Mitchie thought bitterly but refrained from saying it out loud.

"That Caitlyn girl seems really nice. I'm glad you're choosing friends like that, she'll be good for you. To be honest, I've heard some not-so-great things about Kylie, honey. Maybe she's not the type of friend you need to have this summer."

"You can say that again," Mitchie mumbled as she flopped down on her bed. "How long until you need help with dinner?"

"About ten more minutes until we need to start plating things. And don't worry sweetheart, it shouldn't be like this all summer. Brown says that by the third week, he's handing out kitchen duty left and right to the troublemakers. Soon, I'll have all the help I need and you won't need to come in for every meal."

"I don't mind, Mom. Really. I told you I'd help, so I'm going to help. It's really not that big of a deal."

"I know that, and you've always been so good about helping me and your father, I just realize that you might seem a little out of your element here. Your father and I may not be famous but we still love you _so _much."

"Mom, don't do this! I love you too. I don't care about the other people here, really. Besides, how many of them have their moms on call for the next 6 weeks? Or have their mom here to make her famous chicken and pepper panini?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, girly," Connie chided as she bustled around the room. "But, I'm really happy you feel that way. I just want this summer to be perfect for you."

"Yeah," Mitchie echoed, lost in her thoughts once more. "Perfect."


	6. What It Takes

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! Vacation and then getting things settled at work and then getting registered for more college classes…I am tired. And, sorry again – no song included with this one. But, I assure you – you know the songs that are in this chapter. Promise!**

**Enjoy!**

Mitchie managed to get through dinner unnoticed. She helped out in the kitchens and then casually made her way through the mess hall, slipping into a seat next to Caitlyn. It seemed as if Kylie was too busy entertaining her new entourage to notice her, and Tess was just shooting her the occasional glare versus making an active effort to bring her down.

"Are you guys performing tonight?" She asked the table curiously.

"Yup," Lola said, popping the 'p.' "And I think I've managed to convince Barron and Sander to dance with me… right guys?" The boys nodded despite being involved in their own conversations.

"They dance?" Mitchie asked, intrigued.

"Of course they do!" Lola nudged Barron with her shoulder. "Well-rounded students is something Camp Rock prides itself on."

"Oh, gosh," Mitchie scratched the back of her neck nervously. "I'm not so rounded. More like square."

"Not a dancer, huh?" Lola smiled indulgently. "No worries! I'm sure Caitlyn here will be happy to help – she's probably one of the best in the entire camp."

"And if not me, maybe Shane Gray would be willing," Caitlyn said in between bites. Mitchie's mouth dropped open at her blatant use of Shane's name when she knew that Mitchie did _not_ want to talk about their little woodland stroll in front of other people. "You know, 'cause he's _teaching hip hop_ this year."

Mitchie exhaled a sigh at that, remembering that was in fact going to be Shane's class. Caitlyn just rolled her eyes.

"If he shows up," Stacy commented. "I heard that he really didn't want to come here, but the other guys made him."

"Really?" Jenny blew a big bubble and twirled her hair. "He doesn't really seem like the type of guy who is told what to do."

"I think you guys would be surprised," Mitchie said honestly.

"Oh no!" Lola pretended like she was shot in the chest before looking at Mitchie intently. "Don't tell me you are one of Shane's loyal followers. You know – worship the ground he walks on, listens to his 'almost introspective' songs on repeat?"

"Oh, ah, no," Mitchie swallowed as she realized how her words could be misunderstood. "But, you know, not even Shane Gray can say no to court mandated community service."

The table roared with laughter and Mitchie managed a small smile before she surreptitiously wiped sweat from her brow. This summer was going to be the death of her.

* * *

"Alright, who is ready for our _Opening Night Jam?_" Brown's thick accented voice rang out across the mess hall after he watched to make sure no one was still eating. The campers clapped and bellowed in anticipation. "Alright, now Dee is going to be in charge of this Jam so you need to show her the utmost respect. Remember, loves – you may not be able to see me, but I have eyes and ears everywhere. I can see and hear _you_. Keep that in mind and enjoy your first night at Camp Rock!"

Dee went over sign ups after the campers were done cheering after Brown's little speech, and Lola, of course, was one of the first to sign up.

"Not gonna try it?" Caitlyn asked as Lola, Stacy, and Jenny got up to sign their names.

"I'm…no. No, not gonna try it." Caitlyn raised an eyebrow as if to ask for more of an explanation. "I've never performed in front of more than one person. Ever. I'm not sure if on the first night at a camp where the majority of kids probably hate me is a good time to start overcoming fears."

"Fair enough." Mitchie was genuinely surprised – she thought Caitlyn was going to put up more of a fuss over that than she did.

"Are _you_ performing?"

"Nah, I don't have any of my equipment set up. Besides, I like to get a feel for the talent on the first night."

"Sniffing out the competition already? How very Tess of you," Mitchie teased.

"Hah hah. I mean that I want to know who is good – who I can work with."

"Work with?"

"Yeah, you know – produce some backing tracks for them, create some effects with people that they haven't heard of. Stuff like that. I did the backing track for the song Lola's singing tonight."

"Really? How very _un_-Tess-like of you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a regular saint. Now let's watch, it's going to start!" She spun Mitchie around on the bench so that they now had a better vantage point of the performances.

It started up with a fun rap by Barron and Sander, with a pretty awesome drumbeat given by a kid Caitlyn pointed out as Andy.

"Up next, we have _Lola Scott_!" Dee announced. Lola tossed them a wink before checking her hair and going to the center of the room with Stacy and Jenny, Barron and Sander following closely behind.

Mitchie couldn't control the intake of breath she did once the music started.

"They look so choreographed! And perfect!"

Caitlyn just laughed at her.

"They _are_ choreographed!"

_Who's got what it takes to be my guy_

_What it takes to make me shine_

_What it takes to get me fired up?_

_Who's got what it takes to be my beau_

_What it takes to make me glow_

_What it takes to make this beat flow?_

"Oh my God, she's so good!" Mitchie exclaimed.

"She should be – her mom's on Broadway. Stacy and Jenny are at the top of their dance classes, too. I think they take a lot more of the traditional classes, too – you know, ballet, pointe, stuff like that."

_Everybody talks about what they think they need_

_They make up a list of things: 1, 2, 3…_

_Everyone is different, but where we can agree_

_Is every girl wants her boy to treat her sweet_

_Don't think that being mean will get you anywhere_

_Don't think that acting cool will make me want to care_

_I just need your respect if you're gonna be the one_

_And if you must apply then try to get the job done_

_Who's got what it takes to be my guy_

_What it takes to make me shine_

_What it takes to get me fired up?_

_Who's got what it takes to be my beau_

_What it takes to make me glow_

_What it takes to make this beat flow?_

_Talk can be so cheap so I just look for your actions_

_Be good to me if you want my attraction_

_Maybe I just want too much_

_But I don't really care, I know I'm worth it_

_And I know he's out there_

_Wait, wait_

_You might be a contender_

_Hey, hey_

_Can I borrow your sweatshirt_

_Normally I'm not the one_

_To say hello first_

_But if I didn't I might miss out_

_And that might hurt_

_Who's got what it takes to be my guy_

_What it takes to make me shine_

_What it takes to get me fired up?_

_Who's got what it takes to be my beau_

_What it takes to make me glow_

_What it takes to make this beat flow?_

The song finished up and Mitchie found herself clapping enthusiastically along with everyone else.

"Your music was so good, Caitlyn! You did that entire back track?"

"Yup! Don't sound so surprised, Mitchie – that's what I do!"

"You're awesome. Truly, truly awesome." Lola came and flopped down next to them at the table. "And you! You were awesome, too! Completely great."

"Thanks! Phew, man, it's been a while since I performed. I forgot how much I love Camp Rock!"

Mitchie was high fiving Sander when Dee announced the next performer: Kylie Stiles.

The music started up and Mitchie's jaw dropped.

"She's singing this song?" She asked to no one in particular.

"Oh. My. God." Lola's jaw was dropped. Caitlyn was more vocal.

"What a freakin' tramp! There is _no way_ Brown is going to be happy about this. Some of the younger kids are only like, 13!"

They watched in horror as Kylie started moving around sensually to the song, winking at the boys around the mess hall. She even waved to someone in the back, and Mitchie swiveled her head to see (as did half of the campers) and she saw Shane Gray standing there, looking more than a little uncomfortable with her performance.

_This was never the way I planned, not my intention_

_I got so brave, drink in hand, lost my discretion_

_It's not what I'm used to, just wanna try you on_

_I'm curious, for you caught my attention_

_I kissed a girl and I liked it_

_The taste of her cherry chapstick_

_I kissed a girl just to try it_

_I hope my boyfriend don't mind it_

_It felt so wrong, it felt so right_

_Don't mean I'm in love tonight_

_I kissed a girl and I liked, I liked it._

"Well, this is not PG-13," Lola commented as Kylie did another shimmy, almost falling out of her halter top.

"Who cares?" Barron breathed as his eyes never left Kylie's form.

Mitchie thought it was hard to tell whether she was good or bad from this performance. She was using an altered mic, so her voice was distorted and electronically processed. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic either. And she could definitely lose the dance moves.

_No, I don't even know your name, it doesn't matter_

_You're my experimental game, just human nature_

_It's not what good girls do, now how they should behave_

_My head gets so confused, hard to obey_

_I kissed a girl and I liked it_

_The taste of her cherry chapstick_

_I kissed a girl just to try it_

_I hope my boyfriend don't mind it_

_It felt so wrong, it felt so right_

_Don't mean I'm in love tonight_

_I kissed a girl and I liked, I liked it._

_Us girls, we are so magical_

_Soft skin, red lips, so kissable_

_Hard to resist, so touchable_

_Too good to deny it_

_It ain't no big deal, it's innocent_

_I kissed a girl and I liked it_

_The taste of her cherry chapstick_

_I kissed a girl just to try it_

_I hope my boyfriend don't mind it_

_It felt so wrong, it felt so right_

_Don't mean I'm in love tonight_

_I kissed a girl and I liked, I liked it._

After her performance, as predicted, all the boys stood up and gave her a standing ovation, some girls that were desperate to become friends with her were also incredibly enthusiastic, but for the most part, the girls were shell-shocked.

"That really just happened, didn't it?" Jenny asked, confused.

"It definitely did. Mitchie, is she always such a whor-…rible person?" Caitlyn asked as she suddenly noticed Kylie standing in front of their table. Mitchie laughed out loud at Caitlyn's terrible cover up.

"Not performing tonight, Mitchie? Pity. I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see you completely suck."

"Sorry," Mitchie said, unapologetic. "But thanks for not making me wait."

"Oh, please," Kylie flinched slightly under the laughter that was directed at her after Mitchie's barb. "You're just jealous because you could never be on that level."

"I assure you, I'm not even aiming for that level."

One more disgusted look from Kylie and she turned away from Mitchie and her friends, leaving them alone once more.

"Can you believe her?" An outraged Caitlyn asked as soon as she was out of earshot.

"Yes, I definitely can." Mitchie rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Well, listen guys, I'm going to head to bed. This has been one heck of a day. I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

A chorus of "yeahs" met her ears and Barron even got up and gave her a hug and a playful wink.

"I'm pretty beat, too – I'll walk you to your cabin." Caitlyn said her goodbyes and the two headed out.

It wasn't that late so the sky was just beginning to turn pitch black, but the lights were still needed to make their way down the path.

"My favorite part had to be when you stopped yourself from calling Kylie a 'whore,' in order to call her a 'horrible person.' 'Cause that was really a whole lot better." Mitchie was doubling over in laughter at the memory.

"Oh yeah? How about when you told her you were glad that she already showed you how much she sucked?" Caitlyn had to stop to laugh now, too. "And I'm pretty sure she's the only one that didn't realize that you were aiming for a level _above_ her rather than below her when you said that."

The pair didn't know how long they had been laughing in the path, but eventually their giggles subsided and Mitchie looked up to find an entrancing pair of brown eyes with perfect black locks falling gracefully in front of them.

"For a nobody, you sure do attract attention," Shane Gray said, a smile playing on his lips.

"Wha-? Oh, back there." Suddenly the world was surreal to Mitchie – this could never be happening in reality, could it? Shane started taking steps closer to her and she felt like she could hardly breathe.

"I bet trouble follows you around," he commented off handedly, still staring at her intently.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Depends." Before Mitchie could make a borderline flirtatious comment back to him, Caitlyn cleared her throat. Mitchie had completely forgotten that she wasn't alone, and from the somewhat taken aback look on Shane's face, he did too.

"I'm sorry! Shane, this is my friend Caitlyn. Caitlyn, this is Shane Gray. We met earlier today." Mitchie begged Caitlyn with her eyes to not blow her cover on having met Shane Gray a week earlier.

"Nice to meet you," Shane said politely, to which Caitlyn almost rolled her eyes at but managed to just smile back instead. "Funny, I know your friends name but not yours…"

"Did you ever think maybe it was better that way?" Mitchie asked seriously but smiled to take some of the edge off. She turned slightly to Caitlyn and gave a little shrug. "Listen, I should probably just head to my cabin – I'll see you tomorrow, Caitlyn. And you too, Shane. Goodnight!" She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she said goodbye to him, leaving them alone on the trail.

"She's unlike anyone I've ever met," Shane said, almost to himself after she disappeared from view.

"Yup," Caitlyn agreed. "She sure is."

Shane opened his mouth to ask her more about Mitchie when they were interrupted.

"Dude, there you are!" Nate Black and Jason White made their way up to Shane, with Jason still somewhat talking to Nate.

"I just don't get it," he was saying. "Why would she kiss a girl? I mean, unless she was a les-" Nate raised his eyebrows as high as they could go in response. "Oh. _Oh_. Well then why was that song directed towards Shane if she likes girls?"

Nate just sighed and looked to Shane. "I don't feel like explaining this again to Jason. Your turn. And where did you go, man? I mean last we saw you were watching that Kylie girl yell at some chick and then you were gone."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that, I was just saying hi to…um, _Caitlyn_ and her…friend. Who's name was…?" He turned to Caitlyn, pleading with his eyes.

"You know, it seemed like she didn't really want to tell you her name," Caitlyn said with a smirk.

"You know, sometimes things aren't always what they seem." This time it was a cough from Nate that distracted Shane from his task at hand. "What? Oh. Nate, Jason, this is Caitlyn. Caitlyn, this is Nate and Jason."

"Caitlyn Gellar, it's nice to meet you," she said politely, shaking their hands.

"Caitlyn Gellar? Are you the one that's helping out with my production classes?" Nate looked more than a little intrigued.

Caitlyn shrugged sheepishly. "That's me."

"Brown speaks very highly of you." A blush flooded Caitlyn's cheeks.

"Brown has no choice," Caitlyn laughed it off. "I've been coming here for years, he has to make it seem like he's taught me _something_."

They all shared a laugh at that before Jason remembered Shane's task.

"Shane, why don't know her friend's name? That's rude."

"My thoughts exactly!" Shane looked triumphant. "You should probably do the polite thing and just tell me, Caitlyn."

"I'm not sure that's how it works, actually. And besides, what's with the curiosity? I do believe you were just propositioned by the daughter of a superstar in there." She gestured to the mess hall with her head.

"Ugh, no thank you. Besides, she seems…different."

"Well, she certainly is. And you should know that _because_ she's different, she's managed to get on the bad side of most of the campers through no fault of her own. Ever think that maybe she doesn't want to tarnish your reputation with her own?" Caitlyn wasn't exactly sure what she was saying, but she ran with it.

"Man, a reputation worse than Shane's? Now I have to meet her," Nate joked, winking at Caitlyn.

"Well, that's ridiculous," Shane decided, ignoring Nate. "Are you talking about that thing with Kylie in there?" Caitlyn nodded. "I'm not exactly clamoring to be _her_ friend, now am I? Besides, maybe her hanging with me could _help_ her reputation." He added smugly.

Caitlyn began to walk to her cabin, pausing at Shane's side.

"Mitchie can take care of herself, Shane." She couldn't hold back her grin as she saw the look of pure elation that crossed his face when he heard her name. She gave him a wink and continued walking. "Goodnight boys," she called back.

"Mitchie," Shane whispered to no one.

"So, Nate, how come you were blushing when you shook that nice girl's hand? Because I read somewhere that blushing can be cause by three different things…"

Groaning, Nate grabbed a still-smiling Shane and trekked off to their cabin, a chattering Jason following closely.


	7. Who Will I Be?

**Author's Note: Another one! So soon! I impress myself sometimes. THANK YOU TIMES A BILLION FOR REVIEWING THIS. It makes me so happy to see that people like the story – even if it's just to tell me to update. They mean a lot to me that people like my story and are reading it. The alerts alone are fantastic.**

**Mmkay, so here's chapter 6. Gracias!**

The next day came far too soon for Mitchie's liking. She hadn't gotten enough sleep; she spent most of the night tossing and turning, going over everything that had happened with Shane and Kylie. But as her alarm went off, she groaned and thrust herself out of bed. She made quick work of getting ready, slipping on some skinny black jeans and a plain yellow tank top with some matching flats before grabbing a black sweater as an afterthought – it'd heat up towards the afternoon, but in the morning, a chill still lingered.

She rushed her way to the kitchen, tying on an apron and sidling up next to her mother.

"Morning," she said in between yawns.

"You can't possibly be tired," Connie chided. "I got back after you from cleaning up and you were already dead to the world."

"It didn't last," Mitchie grumbled. "What can I help you with?"

"Biscuits are ready to come out of the oven, I think, if you wanna grab them and start putting them in baskets."

Mitchie busied herself with that for a while. She thought about her upcoming day and hoped it was nowhere near as stressful as the previous. She had a beginning production class after breakfast, then vocal lessons with Brown, then lunch, then dance class, followed by guitar. She was pretty sure she had all these classes with Caitlyn until guitar, when she went to her advanced production class. She was particularly glad that Caitlyn would be with her for dance – it was _not_ Mitchie's strong suit.

Speaking of the devil, suddenly, Caitlyn popped up right beside her. She was dressed in skinny jeans, a lime green tshirt with a silver vest, with a braided silver and green belt slung low on her hips.

Mitchie gave a little squeak as Caitlyn surprised her, before shoving her lightly.

"You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry, I didn't realize how entrancing biscuits could be." She poked one gently. "But they smell _delicious_! Morning Connie!" She waved as Mitchie's mom walked by, grinning at the pair.

"You two want to start putting those baskets of biscuits out on the tables? Breakfast starts in about 10 minutes."

The girls nodded, grabbing baskets and heading out into the still empty mess hall.

"So," Caitlyn called across the room as she started from one end. "Scale of one to ten on how mad you'd be if Shane Gray knew your name?"

Mitchie rolled her eyes.

"Zero."

"Really? That's cool. Um, not that I did. This is purely hypothetical, you know?"

"I'm sure. And it's only zero because I don't get mad, Caitlyn. I get even!" Mitchie launched a warm biscuit at Caitlyn, who shocked her by opening up her mouth and managing to catch it.

"Revenge tastes _so_ good," she mumbled in between bites.

"What are we going to do with you?" Mitchie laughed as they made their way back to the kitchen to grab more baskets. The two stopped as they walked in the door upon seeing a staff member looking terrified, dealing with an irate Shane Gray. Mitchie couldn't see her mom anywhere.

"What do you _mean_ I don't have a special breakfast? I have allergies, I can't eat some of this stuff! I'm Shane Gray!"

Caitlyn went to open her mouth when Mitchie put a hand on her arm to stop her and stepped forward instead.

"Stop. Try again." Shane whipped around at her voice, a peculiar look across his face. "_This _time, you're going to politely ask if they received a list of your allergies, and you're not going to mention the fact that you are a Popstar in order to get your way."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, that didn't sound like anything I suggested you say." Mitchie stepped around him to the staff girl standing behind him. "Rose, why don't you go check the cabinets over there and double check to make sure we didn't receive Mr. Gray's allergen list. It might have gotten stuck with one of the others." She nodded and scurried off as Mitchie turned back to Shane. Caitlyn, not wanting to be there when he revealed the fact that he knew her name, grabbed more baskets of biscuits and went back out to the mess hall.

"Do you do that a lot?" Shane asked her quietly.

"Do what a lot?"

"That. Stand up for people when others are being jerks."

"So you admit to being a jerk?" Mitchie untied her apron and turned around to hang it up, and to avoid him seeing the smile that she wanted to release.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I was being a jerk. I'm working on that, I am."

"Don't say it to me," Mitchie turned around. "Say it to her." She pointed to an almost trembling Rose next to her.

"I'm sorry," Shane said with so much sincerity that Mitchie couldn't help but to accept in unquestioningly. "I was just really rude to you, and it wasn't acceptable."

Rose nodded stiffly, still looking like she was about to cry. Her voice trembled as she told them that there had been no list for Shane Gray with the other camper's allergen lists.

"I'll have my manager send it again," he said softly, trying to comfort Rose, who looked downright miserable. Instead of having the desired effect, she promptly burst into tears and ran away. "That wasn't my fault!" Shane said to Mitchie, alarmed. "Did you see that? Not my fault!"

Mitchie just laughed and shook her head. "She's sensitive enough as it is. I think the presence of a Popstar might've just broke her. But hey, are you gonna be alright for breakfast? Did you need me to cook you something for you?"

"I should be good," he said, grabbing a nearby apple.

"Great. Well, I've got lots of stuff to do, so I'll see you later." She started to back away, grabbing the last of the biscuits.

"See you," he said with a smile. "Oh, and Mitchie?" He called out just as she was about to go through the swinging doors. She looked back at him, not surprised that he knew her name. "I'm a _rock_star."

Her tinkling laughter was all he could hear for the rest of the day.

* * *

"So you're really not mad at me?" Caitlyn asked for the tenth time after Mitchie had regaled her with the morning story of her and Shane, as they were headed to production for beginners. She even told her the story of how they met at Chaos, too.

"Of course not!" Michie reassured her. "Besides, I can't go and get mad at my only friend here, can I?"

"Oh, I see how it is," Caitlyn laughed.

"You know, I keep you around for status."

The duo was still laughing as they made it to the classroom for production. Caitlyn let out a loud sigh, breathing in deeply.

"Home," she said simply.

"Wow," Mitchie breathed as she looked around the room. It was filled with computers and microphones and synthesizers and all sorts of tools that she had never seen before. "Are we going to be using _all_ of this? 'Cause I mean, I can sort of work Garage Band for my own stuff, but this…I've never seen half the stuff in this room."

"Well, you're in good shape if you've even _heard_ of Garage Band. Most of the kids in this class are going to be a lot younger than you, actually, and they'll have never heard of _anything_ in this room. And a lot of this stuff is for the advanced classes, so you don't have to worry about it." Caitlyn guided her to a computer in the front of the class.

"This is intense."

"This is fantastic!" Caitlyn gushed. "Trust me, the things that come out of this room are _amazing_, as always. Besides, if you decide that you maybe want my help with a backing track to one of your songs, we now officially have the time for it!"

"Slow down there, DJ Gellar. You haven't even heard me sing – you could totally decide to not even want to work with me."

"I have faith."

Mitchie just laughed.

"So is this class required of everybody?" She asked as she watched younger students filter in through the doors, grabbing seats.

"Well, yes and no." Caitlyn grabbed a CD and starting twirling it around a finger. "Brown thinks it's really important to have an understanding of the entire recording process, because after all, he fully believes that everyone here is one step away from a record deal. _But_, you don't have to take it if you don't want to. For instance, my previous roster for this particular beginner's class had Kylie Stiles on it. She apparently freaked out at the thought of computers and hanging around with 'geeks' all day, and she dropped it. I think she's taking, like, intro to percussion now or something with more _boys_."

"Oh great, because she really needs help making more noise," Mitchie muttered. Before Caitlyn could reply, a silky voice from the back of the room startled her.

"Alright, settle down, settle down." Nate Black walked out from the shadows where he had apparently been lurking the entire time. A few of the younger girls screamed when they saw him, but to their credit, they all remained firmly in their seats. "I am Nate and I will be responsible for teaching you Production for Beginners."

Caitlyn cleared her throat and looked at him innocently. A faint blush colored his cheeks and he smiled at her.

"This is Caitlyn Gellar, who will be assisting me. Brown assures me that even though she's a spitfire, she can still produce an awesome song," he teased, this time causing Caitlyn to blush a fiery red.

And that's how it went for the rest of the session – Caitlyn blushing for minutes on end before regaining her senses enough to cause Nate to blush. Mitchie found that she understood more than she thought she had, and was fairly confident that the class would be easy for her.

As they left class, heading towards Brown's vocal lessons, Mitchie couldn't help put to poke fun at Caitlyn.

"I didn't even know you _could_ blush! And since when do you not have a retort for everything? I swear, for a second, I thought we made our way into bizarro world."

"Hah hah, very funny."

"And you made fun of me for being a fan girl…" Mitchie trailed off before skipping ahead. She heard Caitlyn's outraged gasp and was promptly chased by her into the nearby classroom.

Mitchie was still catching her breath when Caitlyn trotted in behind her and slapped her arm with a notebook.

"Fan girl my ass," she muttered before taking a seat. Mitchie only giggled as she slid in next to her. They spent the few minutes before class having Caitlyn point out who some of the different faces were to her. She had been right, too – a _lot_ of the girls were shooting her dirty looks and rolling their eyes at her.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer!" Caitlyn sniped at a few of the girls that had been glaring from the window.

"You don't have to do that, Caitlyn," Mitchie said quietly, avoiding the prying eyes. "People will think what they want to think, it's no big deal, really."

"You're being really cool about this."

"That's because she's used to it, aren't you, Itchy?" Kylie Stiles' nasal voice echoed throughout the room from behind her, silencing most of the conversations.

"Well this will be fun." Mitchie muttered to Caitlyn before turning around slowly.

"So, how much is she paying you?" Kylie directed her question to Caitlyn. "I personally wouldn't hang out with her no matter what the price. You never know what you'll get…she might be contagious."

"Yeah, be careful, you might catch the disease called 'being a decent person.'" Mitchie said under her breath, causing Caitlyn to laugh.

"Laugh it up, Torres. After all, we only have a few more minutes until you choke in front of the Entire. Class." With that, Kylie and her flunkies slinked off to the back of the room, popping their gum loudly.

Before Mitchie could even comment on Kylie's blatant rudeness, a rush of air told her that the door had opened again. Tess Tyler sauntered in with two girls following closely behind, coming straight to Mitchie's side.

"Move. This is my row."

Mitchie looked at Caitlyn disbelievingly. How was it possible that after one day, all these people hated her?

"That's funny, it sort of looks like our row now," Caitlyn shot back.

"You're not going to move?" Tess asked Mitchie, who shook her head slowly. "Suit yourself." However, before she could make another move, the door opened yet again and Brown walked in, making unnecessary shushing noises, since no one was talking anyway.

"Find a seat, Miss Tyler," he said nonchalantly before taking his place at the front of the classroom. Tess huffed but sat in the row behind Mitchie, where three seats had suddenly become available.

"Alright chums, let's not waste any time, shall we? Let's get started. Who wants to sing first?" Hands shot up all over the room, ranging from the patiently in the air, belonging to Caitlyn, to the over eager waving of Tess Tyler, to the smug and perfectly straight hand owned by Kylie Stiles, who looked as if she knew she would be picked first.

Brown sighed. It was always the same, year after year. Until he noticed a girl that instead of waving her hand around anxiously, she was studying her nails surreptitiously, trying to make herself smaller. Grinning to himself, he chose her.

"Let's go love," he ushered her to the front of the class. "Do your stuff."

Mitchie was terrified. Like heart-racing, palm-sweating, stomach-screaming terrified. She had never sang in front of more than one person, and now she had to do it in front of a group of twenty or more? Including more than one person that wants to see her fail spectacularly? Her eyes glanced over the room, stopping briefly on Caitlyn's encouraging stare until landing on Kylie's arrogant face. She looked as if Mitchie had already sang and the verdict was already in – and it wasn't good. Instead of making Mitchie feel weaker, however, it just empowered her more. Did she really want to give Kylie the satisfaction of knowing she had psyched her out?

She opened her mouth and let the words pour out, loud and strong, exactly how they were meant to sound.

"_Who will I be? It's up to me – all the never-ending possibilities that I can see. There's nothing that I can't do. Who will I be? Yes, I believe I get to make the future what I want to. If I can become anyone and know the choice is up to me – who will I be_?"

Stunned silence echoed in the room, except for Caitlyn's muttering of "holy crap." Slowly, appreciative applause started up and spread throughout. Mitchie even noticed that the two lemmings that had trailed after Tess looked impressed. Tess herself looked thoroughly bored, and Kylie's disgruntled face was priceless. Mitchie would gladly sing in front of crowds more often if she got to see that look on her face more often.

"Bravo, love!" Brown was clapping her on the back. "Was that an original?"

"Oh, um, an original? Well, yes, but-"

"No 'buts.' It was great. Truly." He turned back to the rest of the class at Mitchie went to sit back down. "Now, who has the misfortune of following that?"

"You were great!" Caitlyn whispered excitedly. "I didn't know you could sing like _that_!"

"Ohmigosh, I can't believe I did that. I might throw up," Mitchie said as the excitement wore off.

"Well, at least it's out of the way. Now we can just relax and watch everyone else suck in comparison to you."

They settled in and spent the remained of the class watching everyone else go up and sing. No one was completely terrible, although there were some that did make Mitchie cringe. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Tess' hand stopped waving so eagerly after her performance – it seemed like someone wasn't in _that_ much of a hurry to sing. Caitlyn sung great; she had a real jazzy, smooth alto voice that Mitchie envied. Kylie had sung another trite pop song, although her face did burn red as Brown casually mentioned that she had been "pitchy in a few spots," although it was something she could work on.

"At least my song didn't sound like a song from _Barney_," she spat as she walked by Mitchie's seat.

Tess was one of the last to go.

"Ugh, let's get this over with," Caitlyn muttered. "I'm starving."

Tess sang a song that Mitchie didn't recognize, although she admitted that she didn't really listen to the radio a lot. However, she learned quickly that it was a TJ Tyler song after Caitlyn muttered about having to endure the same thing year after year.

Brown clapped Tess on the back as she finished and smiled.

"Just as good as last year," he said noncommittally. He was calling up one of the last performers as Tess walked by Mitchie and gave a little stumble. This little stumble resulted in somehow the entire contents of her water bottle being poured all over the front of Mitchie's shirt. Both Mitchie and Caitlyn gasped, while the former stood up quickly, holding her shirt out from her body.

"What the hell!" Mitchie shrieked before she could stop herself.

"Girls!" Brown's sharp voice prevented her from saying anything else. "What is going on over here?"

"I tripped," Tess said innocently.

"She poured her whole water on Mitchie!" Caitlyn stood up now, too.

"Mitchie, are you okay?" Brown asked concernedly. "Why don't you go and get cleaned up before lunch, you can leave class early. No more language like that, either, got it?"

She nodded and quickly unbuttoned her sweater and pulled it off, not caring where the water that it was dripping with flung. With a muttered thanks she grabbed her bag and slipped out of the classroom and started to make her way to her cabin.

She was growing closer when she was almost taken out by a harried looking Shane Gray.

"Whoa!" She ended up grabbing his shoulders to steady herself.

"Mitchie?"

"Shane? What are you doing? Shouldn't you be teaching a class or something?" Mitchie got control of her balance and stepped away from him, albeit slower than necessary.

"I…I let them out early. What are _you_ doing?" She didn't answer right away, instead she peered at him speculatively.

"You just woke up," she declared after a moment, noting his heavy-lidded eyes and sleep lines on his cheek

"How did you know that?"

"It's a gift," she said with a grin, starting to walk away.

"That's some gift," Shane said, falling in step with her. "The super power to know when someone has been sleeping. Hmmm. I'm sure it comes in handy when waiting for kids to fall asleep for Santa, huh?" Mitchie just shook her head indulgently. "Well, if you must know, yes, I might have taken a nap after breakfast and I _might've_ overslept a bit."

"A bit?"

"Ok, a lot. But still – someone _else_ let their class out early, and I just got chased about a mile by screaming girls."

"Oh, the hard life of a Popstar," she sighed.

"What about you?" He asked, lifting a dangling sleeve of her damp sweater, which was currently leaving a trail of drips along the dirt path they were walking. "Hard life as well, I'm assuming? What'd you do, drop it in the lake?"

"Something like that," she murmured.

"Well, are you cold? You could have my-" Shane made a move to take his jacket off when Mitchie interrupted him.

"I'm fine, I promise. It's practically hot outside, anyway. Besides, I'm heading back to my cabin right now to change, although my tank tops almost dry."

"Your cabin? But you're heading towards the staff cabins," he pointed out.

"Very observant. I am."

"Do you _work_ here?"

Mitchie stopped short.

"Would that bother you?"

"What?"

"Would it bother you? Would me having a job here be an issue for you? Or, better yet, would me being the cook's _daughter_ and therefore going to camp at a discounted rate and staying in a staff cabin – would _that_ bother you?"

"I…uh, I didn't know you were…um, listen, are you going to lunch later, because…"

Mitchie shook her head sadly.

"I'll see you in class, Shane." She started to walk away.

"You didn't give me an answer," he called after her. She turned around, still walking backwards, a sad smile on her face.

"Neither did you."

* * *

"It's _obviously _an issue for him, Caitlyn. I mean, why else would he react the way he did?"

It was finally lunchtime, thankfully for Caitlyn's stomach, and Mitchie and her were talking over Mitchie's most recent interaction with the infamous Shane Gray.

"I don't know," Caitlyn pondered thoughtfully, popping a grape into her mouth. "I mean, he had to have already had an _idea_, right? I mean, why else would you be hanging out in the kitchen, knowing so much about what was going on?"

"Maybe he had an idea, but didn't want confirmation." Mitchie stabbed her macaroni salad viciously. "It doesn't even matter; it's stupid, really. And I mean, I can't even blame him for reacting like that – he's not the first."

"Well, okay, first of all, it's not stupid to want someone to like you for who you are. And second of all, maybe he didn't react the way that we're thinking. Maybe you just surprised him. I mean, it does sort of sound like you jumped topics pretty quickly. You could've shocked him that you were being so frank and honest."

"I guess," Mitchie said doubtfully.

"Well, either way, let's not think about it anymore. Let's just think about how you blew everyone out of the water in Brown's class."

"_I_ did? Man, Caitlyn – I didn't know you could sing like that! So you're a musician, a singer, a dancer and a producer – you are like, a quadruple threat."

"Hah! I'd much rather stick with producing, thank you very much, but Brown has all these wacky ideas of being 'well-rounded,' so I give everything a try once."

"You totally rocked it today, Mitchie," Lola interrupted as she sat down with them, followed by Andy, Barron and Sander.

"Thanks," she said humbly. "Where are Jenny and Stacy?"

"Oh, they get caught up with dance stuff. They just finished their advanced modern dance class or something, I saw them going over moves in the cabin." She shrugged. "If you end up having trouble in dance class next, Mitchie, feel free to ask them for help – they're really great."

At the mention of the impending dance class, both Mitchie and Andy groaned.

"I'm _not_ looking forward to this," Andy moaned, putting his head down.

"Me neither! I have two left feet, I swear," Mitchie commiserated.

"It's not that bad, I promise, Mitchie," Lola reassured her. "And Andy, this is what you get for not doing dance last year."

"They had it at the same time as advanced percussion! What was I supposed to do?"

The lunch continued on in the same fashion – idle small talk with the occasional dismal comment from Andy or Mitchie.

Finally, the group, minus Lola, who had a piano lesson, got up and made their way to the dance class.

"I'd be surprised if he even shows up," Barron said quietly as they walked in. "I heard he missed one of his morning classes."

"Well, he's awake now," Mitchie muttered, still a little bitter from their last interaction.

True to Popstar fashion, Shane Gray sauntered in 5 minutes after class was due to begin and started barking out orders.

"Grab a mic and a hat," he said, barely glancing at the group of kids he was teaching. "Follow my lead." He turned on the stereo and started a quick dance step.

Mitchie followed along easier than she had thought she would, but she knew she must look incredibly uncoordinated in comparison to all the campers that had either taken a dance class before, or spent most of their time memorizing the dance steps in Connect 3's music videos.

Mitchie noticed that Kylie looked to be in the zone, moving almost mechanically to the song, and Tess was also going through the motions, although casting devious glances at Mitchie out of the corner of her eye.

Just as Mitchie felt as if she was getting into the groove of things, she felt a small foot reach out and trip her just below her knee. Her arms instantly shot out to regain balance, but all she came across was poor Andy. The two of them went down in a heap.

"Watch it!" Tess said sharply. Mitchie was vaguely aware of Kylie and all of her minions laughing at her as she tried to sit up.

"Really, Mitchie, I know I told you that I'd be the one to fall first, but this is ridiculous," Andy joked as he pulled himself into a sitting position.

In an instant, Shane Gray was standing over the two.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked, although his eyes were trained on Mitchie the entire time.

"Yeah, man," Andy answered. "I knew I was going to go down, but didn't know it'd be this soon." He tossed a wry glance at Mitchie. "Or that I'd have company."

"You play?" Shane asked with a nod to the drumsticks that were now peeking out of his pocket. Andy nodded. "You any good?" He didn't miss the roll of Mitchie's eyes at that question, but instead Andy took out his sticks and played an impressive beat on the floor.

"You're a drummer, dude," Shane proclaimed. "You control the beat. Just gotta work on getting that beat down to your feet." He grinned at Andy encouragingly. "Now _you,_" he began, offering Mitchie a hand to stand up, which she took with a small scowl, "just need to avoid getting…tripped up."

"Believe me, I'm trying," she said as she stood up, merely inches away from him.

"I know," he said softly, looking into her eyes. A not-so-discrete cough from Caitlyn brought him back to the moment. He released his hold on Mitchie's hand and turned to Tess. "You're TJ Tyler's daughter, right?" She nodded, proud. "Well, next time you feel like adding in _kicks_ where there are none – don't. You might find that you're the one on the floor next."

Tess turned bright red and mumbled something, but Shane just turned and walked back to the front of the class.

"Now, where were we?"


	8. Shy That Way

**A/N: Another update! Don't tell anyone this, but I think I'm sort of getting into a **_**schedule**_**. This is a new thing. Of course, I say this, and I was hoping it'd be a Thursday & Sunday sort of thing, but I'm going to be on Oak Island this weekend, so that's not going to happen. Ok, the world makes sense again. No schedule for the moment.**

**The song for this chapter is a duet – Tristan Prettyman & Jason Mraz's "Shy That Way." Look at my Twitter for the download link. It's a nice song, if I do say so myself.**

**Thanks for all the looooovely reviews! Sweetcinnamonxoxo, sabse14love, midnightwriter1898, muzicoftheheart and eeeeeveryone else! The fact that you read one chapter, then actually come back to read another one means a lot to me!**

**So enjoyyyyy everyone!**

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"I'll catch you after class, ok, Caitlyn?"

She yelled an affirmation as she hurried to get back to Nate Black – or Advanced Production, as the case was. Mitchie practically ran in the opposite direction towards her guitar lesson. Shane had been trying to catch her eye for the better part of the dance class, and she honestly didn't know what to say to him.

She swung by her cabin to grab her guitar and decided that after a day, Shane Gray would forget all about her and who she was and become interested in some other random girl who _didn't_ have half the camp hating on her.

She was one of the last ones to enter the classroom that the guitar lessons were going to be. She only recognized a few of the campers already there – Peggy, one of Tess's lemmings was there and actually gave her a small smile when she got in.

She slipped into a seat and took out her guitar, strumming lightly, trying to just blend in. She loved guitar and was truly excited for this lesson – Jason White was a _great_ guitar player, albeit a little off, and she really wanted to see what he had in store for them.

Soon as the thought crossed her mind, the door burst home and Jason White stood before them, grinning wildly.

"Hi! I'm Jason! Grab a guitar and follow me!" And with that he spun around and exited the room once more. Sharing a bewildered look with some of the kids closest to her, Mitchie shrugged and picked up her guitar, following him through the door.

He led them about fifty feet away into a small clearing where he motioned to the grass. Most of the campers stared at him incredulously.

"Go ahead! Sit down," he said happily. Mitchie laughed a little but then planted herself in the grass, crossing her legs Indian style and laying her guitar in her lap. She was pleasantly surprised when Peggy was the next to sit down a few spots away from her – more than a few of the girls in the class were turning up their noses at the thought of sitting on the ground. Mitchie held back a snort at that – they were at a _camp_ for goodness sake. Did they think they would never have to be out in nature?

Eventually everyone was sitting and Jason stood in front of the half circle of kids.

"Why are we outside?" A girl complained loudly.

"We are outside because it's great! I mean really, haven't you been inside all day? Don't you just want to be outside with nature? And it's such a great day out, too. Here I can teach you and we can enjoy the outdoors at the _same time_!" He looked truly pleased with himself. He started patting his jean pockets and then his button down t-shirt. He was apparently successful in his breast pocket because he let out a triumphant 'ah hah!' and pulled a piece of folded up paper out.

"Okay, I have the roster. Just say 'here' when I call your name." Mitchie was impressed – aside from Nate this morning, neither Shane nor Brown had taken the time with a roll call. Of course, she figured that Brown probably knew most of the campers by name and Shane clearly thought he was above that, so it did make sense that Nate and Jason were the only ones taking it seriously.

She listened halfheartedly as he called campers off by their names. Turns out the girl that was above sitting on the ground was named Liberty McAllister, and Peggy's real name was Margaret Dupree.

"Mitchie Torres," he said in the same distinctive happy tone he had been using all day.

"Here," she replied automatically.

"Oh! You're Mitchie!"

"Um, yes?" She was desperately wondering what he had heard that would have him knowing her name already.

"Shane was wondering what your name was last night," he explained. "Your friend Caitlyn let us know. Are you mad?"

By this time, everyone in the class was staring at her with either curious or envious glares.

"_Shane Gray?_" She heard whispered from various campers. "_Why would he want to know _her_ name?_"

"Um, I'm not mad. It's okay." She gulped, uncomfortable with the attention.

"Good. He was all funny about it, saying that maybe you didn't want him to know his name…I mean _your_ name…I mean, unless you didn't know _his_ name, then-"

"Is that the end of the roster?" Peggy interrupted, effectively stopping Jason's rant.

"Oh! It's not. Okay, um, Marilyn Young?"

Mitchie turned to Peggy and mouthed 'thank you.' Peggy just smiled and shrugged, putting her attention back on her guitar.

The lesson got better after that – Mitchie had to admit, it was nice to sit out in the sunshine and play the guitar. She made a mental note to do it often at camp when she had the opportunity. They went over basic chords and did a little playing for Jason to see where they were. She was surprised in his teaching technique, too. He was very hands-on, and if someone wasn't doing something correctly, he would go over and diagnose the specific problem for each person.

"Okay, so I guess that'll be all for today," Jason said, clapping his hands. "You guys were all so great! I sort of want to hug you all – but I won't," he added, seeing some of the shocked faces.

Mitchie just laughed and stood up, brushing herself off and inspecting her guitar for any stray pieces of grass.

"So," Jason began as he suddenly appeared beside her. "You're Mitchie."

"Ah, um, yup," she managed to get out, barely. She didn't think she'd ever get used to having legitimate celebrities talk to her. "You're Jason," she said when he didn't reply right away.

"Yup!" He grabbed her guitar from her and started to walk back to the classroom. "You're really good at guitar, I'm not sure if I have anything else to teach you."

"Are you _kidding_? You're one of the best guitar players out there right now – there's _always_ something to learn. Oh, and I didn't get a chance to tell you, but your guitar is pretty awesome."

"You like it? You do?" He swung his own guitar, which had been resting on his back, onto the front. He handed back Mitchie her guitar in order to fully show off his own. "Shane and Nate said the bird decal was _cheesy_, can you believe that? I mean, it's not like I'm planning on using it for concert or anything, I just really like it. This is a 'me' guitar, you know? Of course you do, you have your name engraved on yours! You totally get it."

Mitchie glanced at her guitar – she'd had it engraved for so long, she almost forgot it was still there. But sure enough, on her black pickguard was her name 'Mitchie Elena Torres' in sprawling silver script. Her dad had it done for a birthday gift a few years ago; it was Mitchie's favorite part of her guitar. She looked back at Jason and gave him a huge grin.

"I _do_ get it," she said with a laugh.

* * *

"I made a new friend today!" Jason White dropped his bag unceremoniously by the door of his cabin as he announced his presence.

"Of _course_ you did." Nate looked up from the songbook he had been scribbling in. "This place is crawling with people that want to be our friends."

"Nope, she was different. I swear. And guess who it was?"

"Who?" Nate asked with a sigh, putting his book to the side, resigned to listening to Jason.

"Mitchie!"

"Mitchie?" Shane poked his head out of the bathroom, his hair in the process of being straightened. "You talked to Mitchie?"

Jason nodded happily. "She was real nice. I like her."

"Wait a second. _You_ talked to the girl that _Shane_ has been trying to talk to for the past 24 hours?"

"Hey! I did talk to her, thank you very much."

"Okay, you talked to the girl that _Shane_ hasn't managed to talk to without pissing off for the past 24 hours?" Nate rephrased.

"It was a misunderstanding!" Shane shouted from the bathroom.

"What part did she misunderstand? The part where you had an issue with her being the cook's daughter? Man, I thought you were changing, but c'mon Shane…"

"'C'mon Shane,' what?" Shane came out fully from the bathroom.

"I'm just saying, having an issue with someone because of their background is something the _old_ Shane would do. I didn't think the new one would have that big of a problem with it."

"I don't have a problem with it!" He insisted, sinking onto his nearby bed. "She just took me by surprise is all. We were talking and then I was walking her to her cabin and all of a sudden, bam! She's the cook's daughter and I look like an asshole."

"If the shoe fits," Nate muttered. Shane chucked a pillow at him.

"I don't have a problem with it. I mean, if anything, it explains a lot. Right down to why people here are being rude to her."

"People are being mean to her?" Jason asked, clearly distraught at the thought. "We should stop them."

"Slow down there," Shane tried to calm him down. "We can right the injustices of the world later. Right now I have to work out some way to let her know that I don't care about the fact that she's the cook's daughter."

"You're going through an awful lot of work for one girl," Nate commented lightly.

"I…I know. But I don't know. I just don't think she's _just _a girl. I think she's different."

"Hey, whatever, man, I say do what you have to do."

"You should've heard the way she stood up to me. She completely called me out on being a jerk."

"Something we have been trying to do for months," Nate interjected. Shane just shrugged with a smile before grabbing his guitar and a notebook.

"I think I'm gonna go write for a bit before dinner, 'kay guys?"

"But what about your hair, dude?" Jason looked at him curiously. Shane paused in front of a mirror and gave it a tousle.

"Looks good enough to me. I'll catch you guys later."

Nate and Jason traded a look as he loped out of the cabin.

"Let's not question it," Nate told Jason. "If this girl wants to sass him and get him writing again, who are we to argue?"

"She's really nice," Jason insisted.

* * *

Caitlyn caught up with Mitchie once again in the kitchen that night as she was helping to prepare dinner.

"So are you just going to go around charming all of Connect 3 this summer?"

"Jeepers! You scared the crap out of me, Caitlyn!" Mitchie clutched her heart, willing it to slow down.

"You still say 'jeepers'? I don't know _anyone_ that still says that." Caitlyn snagged a grape tomato and popped it into her mouth. "Just salad for dinner?"

"There's garlic bread and pasta, too," Mitchie said wryly. "And what are you talking about with Connect 3?"

"Oh, yeah, I heard you're best pals with Jason now. Way to kick me out of the running!"

"Oh, God," Mitchie hung her head. "Please don't tell me that's all over camp already?"

"Trust me, the gossip network here is a force to be reckoned with. I heard about it less than five minutes after my last class."

"I just talked to him! That's it!"

"I heard he talked to you about _Shane_."

"Ugh. Scale of one to ten, how screwed am I?" She said conversationally as she started stacking bowls to be brought out.

"Well, I guess the bad news is that most of the girls here hate you for having actually _talked_ to Shane Gray."

"Is there good news in there at all?"

"Well, I suppose the good news is that most of the girls already hated you before, so it's not like you're really _losing_ anything there."

"Oh. Excellent."

"Mitchie, you have someone here to – oh, hi Caitlyn!" Connie Torres walked over to the salad station, interrupting their conversation as Caitlyn greeted her in return.

"What were you saying, mom?" To Mitchie, her mom looked much too excited for preparing dinner.

"Oh, there's some…boy here to see you."

"Some _boy_?" Mitchie was confused. There are no boys that even knew she was working in the kitchen except for… "Oh, god. It's him."

"Him who?" Connie asked almost innocently.

"You know who, stop pretending you don't," Mitchie playfully glared at her mother.

"Well, _I_ don't, unless it's…" Caitlyn paused at the look on Mitchie's face. "It's Shane? It is? Well, what are you doing standing here still? Go!"

"I should probably get the salad out to the mess hall before dinner…"

"I'm on it," Caitlyn said with a salute. She then pushed Mitchie forward a few steps. "Go!"

"I'm going, I'm going," she grumbled, dragging her feet to the door.

She gave her apron a perfunctory brush, as if that was going to magically make it _not an apron_. She was convinced she had pieces of lettuce clinging to her everywhere and she was suddenly much more aware of how she could've easily just cut her finger off while slicing peppers instead of having to deal with this sure to be awkward conversation with Shane Gray.

She could see him through the screen door, although he wasn't looking in her direction. He just stood there, in all of his Popstar perfection, guitar slung on his back, hair slightly curly yet still somehow straight enough to look good, tight black jeans and a white v-neck. Mitchie thought that it was a sin that he could be such an ass and yet look so good.

He turned around as he heard the door open.

"Mitchie!" She just smirked at him in response. They continued to stare at each other until she couldn't handle it.

"Come here to play me a song?" At his confused look, she gestured to his back. "What's with the guitar?"

"Oh, right!" He actually looked slightly nervous. "I came here straight from writing by the lake, it was sort of a spur of the moment thing actually. See, um…" he struggled to find words. Finally, Mitchie took pity on him.

"It's ok, Shane." He looked up at her, questioningly. "Whatever you think of me…it's okay. I know you came here to get your life back on track or whatever," she waved her hand carelessly. "I'm not looking for a payday from this. I'm not about to run to the tabloids and tell them that Shane Gray has got a chip on his shoulder, so you don't have to worry about that." She gave another little shrug. "So just don't worry about it."

She turned to go back inside when Shane had finally regained his voice.

"Wait!" She turned around slowly, pivoting on her heel. "I mean, I want to be upset with what you said, but I…I guess I haven't really done much to dispute that.." He took a step towards her. "I don't _care_ that you're the cook's daughter."

"Really? Because from where I'm standing, it sort of looked like you did."

"You took me by surprise," he insisted. "I didn't expect that. And then I _thought_ I answered and I wanted you to meet me for lunch but then apparently I _didn't_ answer so you got mad but just trust me when I say that I don't care, Mitchie."

A moment passed and then, "Okay."

"Okay what?" Shane's eyes were wide and hopeful.

"Okay, I believe you when you say it doesn't matter to you." He let out a big sigh of relief and then gave her a doleful grin. She shook her head a little at his antics. "This is an awful lot of effort you're giving for some girl you don't even know. Unless you're about to go chase down some other girl you managed to offend on the first official day of camp," she teased.

"Nope, just you." He brushed some hair out of his eyes and Mitchie's eyes trailed it, trying to ignore the way it was practically begging to be touched. "And you know, people keep telling me that it's a lot of effort for some girl, but I figure I just know something they don't."

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" She felt a smile spread over her face despite her efforts to quell it. Shane took a few steps forward until he was right in front of her and brushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ears. She _prayed_ that there was no lettuce hiding in her hair.

"Maybe you're not just _some_ girl," he said softly, before turning on his heel and striding away. "I'll see you later, Mitchie," he called over his shoulder with a smile.

To the casual observer, Mitchie might've appeared unaffected as she rolled her eyes and strolled back into the kitchen, but only Mitchie could feel the skipping of her heart and the butterflies in her stomach.

* * *

Later that night, Caitlyn and Mitchie were rehashing their day to each other. Caitlyn sprawled out over the extra bed in Michie and Connie's cabin and Mitchie on her own, her head hanging off the foot of the bed, swinging to the beat of the music on the stereo.

"Maybe I just have that look about me," Mitchie was saying. Caitlyn shot her an incredulous look. "Yeah, maybe people just look at me and say, 'wow, that girl _really_ wants a liquid dumped on her.'"

"Girl, you are crazy. And I can't believe how calm you are about all this."

"What do you mean?" Mitchie stopped swinging her head and sat up, flipping onto her stomach, propping her head on her elbows.

"I mean that I would've totally lost my shit today if Tess did that to me. And you're sitting here making jokes about it."

"Well, first of all, I think maybe that's why she didn't do it to you. You would've probably punched her or something." Caitlyn shrugged. "And second of all, I did sort of lose it. I can't believe I swore in front of Brown."

"Just wait until a few more weeks into camp and you will be hearing Brown swear up a storm at all occasions. He's always flowers and sunshine the first few weeks at camp but then things start to go wrong and he turns into a normal adult."

Mitchie rolled her eyes in response. "And as for the jokes, I mean, what else am I supposed to do? I'm just glad it was water she poured and not another rum and coke. I felt like my skin smelled like rum for three days after. And not in a good Captain-Jack-Sparrow sort of way, either."

"You are something else, Mitchie Torres," Caitlyn commented. Mitchie just shrugged and tossed her another piece of Laffy Taffy from the bag she was currently demolishing.

The truth was, Mitchie knew she wasn't 'something else.' Caitlyn had thought that because Mitchie had snide remarks waiting and wasn't completely freaking out on the outside about today then that meant that she was cool with all that had happened; it couldn't be farther from the truth. She knew she had to be strong and not give anyone the satisfaction of knowing that they had been the one to tear down Mitchie Torres. At home it had been easier – she dealt with it everyday, but when she had to, she could go to her room and cry and scream and curse the world for being so damn unfair in all of this. At camp, she wasn't sure what she could do. She couldn't freak out in the cabin, that was for sure. Besides her mom being in and out of it all day and surely to notice if Mitchie was crying at night, but her cabin was adjacent to that of Connect 3. She assumed any tortured screaming would probably garner their attention.

So she _had_ to be strong. She didn't have another choice. Until she could actually become strong instead of just pretending, or until she found a place secluded enough that she felt comfortable there (which she doubted would happen), then she was, for all intents and purposes, screwed.

Something else indeed…


	9. Something To Talk About

**Author's Note: Quick AN this time – I hope you enjoy it, sorry about the wait and there's no song because I'm updating from my boyfriend's. Ok, that's it. Love you all!**

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"You don't have to come and help out every morning, Caitlyn!" Mitchie chided her as Caitlyn tried to smother her third yawn in as many minutes.

"All the fun stuff happens to you," she managed to get out in between yawns. "Don't want to miss anything."

"I'm so glad I live to amuse you." She shoved a tray into Caitlyn's hands. "Go put these in the oven, please."

Caitlyn turned to walk away, muttering tiredly the entire time.

"Honestly, who cooks eggs in an oven, its so strange to me…" She had just closed the oven door when a familiar voice woke her up considerably more.

"Knock knock," Nate Black called out as he stepped into the kitchen cautiously.

"Hey Nate," Mitchie greeted happily as she flattened more pieces of bread with a rolling pin. "What can I help you with?"

"I, um, was just wondering if you had a personal fridge back here? The nurse sent me here since she wasn't sure if she'd have enough room in her little fridge and there's a generator for the kitchen anyway, in case of emergencies."

"Well, I'm not sure if it can be called 'personal,' but we _do_ have a fridge that seems to be for Connect 3. It's being used mostly for Shane's allergies right now…or, rather, for food that Shane can eat _due_ to his allergies, or um, well…just follow me."

Mitchie led Nate to a normal sized refrigerator in the back of the room while Caitlyn straightened out her hair the oven's reflection. Satisfied with her work, she hurried to the corner of the room where Mitchie had led Nate.

"So, what did you want to put in the fridge anyway?" Mitchie asked as she rearranged a few things in the fridge. She looked up and Nate was holding up a Ziploc baggy with three vials of clear liquid and a few syringes. "Um…?" Mitchie had _no_ idea what he was holding up.

"It's insulin," Caitlyn noted from behind Nate, surprising them.

"Huh?"

"Insulin. Like, for Type 1 diabetes."

Nate nodded.

"I…didn't know you had diabetes," Mitchie said slowly as she took the baggy from him and placed it in he fridge.

"It's not something I spread around." He looked between the two girls. "Look, I just found out about it a few months ago. I'm sort of just working on dealing with it myself before having the world deal with it, too."

"Hey, no worries here. We can keep our mouths shut," Mitchie said as she kicked the fridge door closed. "In fact, I'm going to go keep my mouth shut…over there."

Mitchie practically ran away, leaving Nate and Caitlyn to their own devices.

"How'd you know?" Nate asked quietly.

"My little cousin has it. Diagnosed a couple of years ago." Caitlyn bit her lip, debating on whether it would be too bold of her to continue. "It's hard," she finally said.

"Yeah. It hasn't really been a picnic."

"You know, we won't…"

"I know. And I appreciate it. I wouldn't have even asked to use the fridge, but this is sort of my reserve stash, so…"

"Hey, like she said. No worries." They shared a secret smile and Caitlyn could've sworn her heart stopped.

"So," Nate clapped his hands together. "You got kitchen duty already? What's for breakfast, anyway?"

"I don't have kitchen duty, thank you very much," she said as she led him around the kitchen. "Just helping Mitchie out is all."

"Mitchie? That was … Mitchie?"

"Uh, yes? You know, you have her in your first class. You did roll call and everything." Nate smacked his forehead.

"I can't believe I just had that big of a Jason moment." He shook his head. "So _that's_ Mitchie Torres." Caitlyn nodded.

"You know I can hear you guys," Mitchie spoke up from where she was brushing syrup on the flattened bread.

"Sorry," Nate stepped towards her. "It's just, you sort of have Shane all worked up or something."

"I'm sure Shane will get over it in a few days." Mitchie grinned at him. "But hey, I hate to do this, but, you gotta either help out or get out. Kitchen rules."

Surprising both of them, Nate rolled up his sleeves.

"What can I do?"

* * *

"I've never even _heard_ of putting eggs in the oven," Nate laughed as he filled pitchers with syrup.

"That's what I said!" Caitlyn nudged him playfully.

"Say what you want, guys, but it's _delicious_. Probably one of my favorite breakfasts ever." Mitchie rolled her eyes at them.

"It's true," Connie spoke up, dropping a box of napkins on the table next to them. "Usually we make her cook them for us at home, but they're so good, I thought the camp deserved to try them."

"Do we _want_ to try them?" Nate asked skeptically.

"Guys! It's just bread that gets flattened and then brushed with maple syrup, then shoved in muffin cups. Crack some eggs into each little bread cup and bake for 5 minutes. Voila! Eggs in maple toast cups."

"We'll see…"

jkhskf

Ten minutes later and Nate was wholeheartedly convinced.

"They're so good, Mitchie!" Nate had decided to eat in the mess hall with them and after a quick cell pone conversation with Jason, he too decided to join them. This led to everyone staring at them, which Nate and Jason had promptly apologized for. Caitlyn had reassured them that it probably wasn't _entirely_ their fault- Mitchie attracted a lot of attention all on her own.

"I _told_ you they were," she said, stabbing mindlessly at some of her home fries.

"And you're _sure_ they weren't baby birds yet?" Jason asked for the hundredth time.

"Positive," Mitchie said with a smile.

"In that case, they're really good! I love them! You should be a cook."

"Thanks, Jason. I will…take that advice to heart."

"What you _should_ be is invisible." Kylie Stiles had appeared next to their table, once again wearing the tightest tank top Mitchie had ever seen. "And you usually are. What gives, Mitchie Torres? What lies have you been spewing to get these guys to think you're cool?"

"Jealous much?" Caitlyn tossed back.

"Ugh, who are you? I don't even know you and I don't like you. You dress like a lesbian." Kylie indicated to Caitlyn's outfit of skinny jeans with suspenders and a white button up. Cait's mouth dropped open in outrage but snapped closed when Nate slid his hand on top of hers.

"That's ridiculous, Caitlyn doesn't kiss girls. Isn't that you?" Jason said in all his innocence. Even Nate, who Mitchie learned was rather serious at all times, had to hide his face as the table broke out in laughter. Kylie turned pink but remained firm.

"Whenever you guys come out from under whatever wicked spell Mitchie's cast on you, I'll be here, waiting."

"You do that." Nate stared stonily at Kylie until she finally walked away, tossing her hair and talking loudly about how rude Mitchie was.

"Wow, they're really not nice to you here, Mitchie," Jason commented, obviously concerned.

Mitchie just shrugged it off as usual. She didn't really want to think about how 'not nice' they were here. Caitlyn had other ideas, apparently.

"Yeah, Tess Tyler dumped her water bottle on her yesterday during our vocal lesson with Brown! It was so ridiculous."

Before Jason or Nate could say something, Mitchie interrupted.

"It really isn't that big of a deal, guys. Really. I'm going to go grab some stuff from my cabin…I'll see you guys in class today."

They all agreed but before Mitchie got two feet away, Nate called her back.

"Hey, if you're going to be by the staff cabins, is there any way you could check and see if Shane's awake? He really can't miss another class here."

"Sure. I'll take him some breakfast, too. Maybe _someone_ will appreciate good food for looks alone!"

* * *

Mitchie knocked lightly on the door to what she knew to be Shane's cabin. She was balancing a tray with the breakfast as well as a small thermos of coffee on it in one hand and banging politely on the door with the other. She heard a muffled "Go away!" and decided that was invitation enough.

She slipped in and put the tray on a nearby table. Shane was lying face down on his bed, a pillow clenched firmly around his head. Mitchie marveled for a moment as to how perfect he looked, being shirtless with only pajama pants on. She gave herself a mental head smack and made her way quietly to the foot of his bed.

"I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to miss your first class two days in a row."

Mitchie wasn't sure if it was the fact that it was _her_ voice or just that it was a feminine voice in his cabin, but she had never seen anybody move as fast as Shane Gray did at that moment. He shot up instantly, launching to his knees, still gripping his pillow tightly in one hand. His eyes were wide and his breathing erratic as he looked at a hunched over Mitchie, trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard.

"What are you _doing_ here?" He didn't sound angry but he did sound more than a little bewildered.

"Your class starts in ten minutes," Mitchie managed to get out in between huffs of laughter. "I'm your wake up call."

"I can think of worse ways to wake up," he mused as he slowed his heartbeat.

"Don't get used to it, Popstar. Jason and Nate asked me to since I was headed this way."

"You've seen Jason and Nate already?" Shane got up and started running a brush through his hair. Mitchie felt herself salivating at the sight of him moving so comfortably with his pants slung low on his hips. Her eyes followed the 'V' of his hips down below his waistline and…

"Mitchie?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Nate even helped out with breakfast. It was sweet."

"Of course he did," Shane muttered.

"Although I'm pretty sure he did it just to get closer to Caitlyn, but whatever. It meant less work for me."

"Caitlyn?" Shane felt himself give a sigh of relief at the idea of Nate chasing some _other_ girl that wasn't Mitchie. He couldn't explain it, but it did make him feel better.

"Yeah, they're pretty cute together. Oh, that reminds me, I brought you some."

"Some what?"

"…Breakfast." Mitchie gestured to the tray on the table. "You should eat it before it gets cold. Let me know how it is, too – some of your friends doubt my culinary prowess."

"You cooked these?" Shane looked at the tiny little muffin shaped cups that held eggs. "They look great."

"Thank you! And I mean, well, I probably didn't cook _those_ specifically, but it is my recipe."

"Thanks," Shane said with a small smile on his face. He was really surprised that Mitchie had gone out of her way to bring him breakfast, even if Nate and Jason _did_ ask her. "Sit down for a sec – let me go throw some clothes on and I'll be right back."

Shane disappeared into the bathroom before she could respond so Mitchie sunk into one of the two chairs next to the table sporting his breakfast. She hadn't really thought this out – she knew she was going to wake him up, but now that he was awake, she wasn't sure how to act. Should she have just left? Should she wait and see if he asks if she wants to do lunch again? Should she just leave now and go to class, leaving him hanging in the bathroom?

She didn't have a chance to act on any of her impulses because sure enough, a few moments later, Shane popped out of the bathroom, sporting some tight white jeans and a black and white striped tee.

"So, what are these?" Shane asked as he sat down in the chair opposite of Mitchie.

"Um, eggs in maple toast cups. They're good, I promise."

"I believe you," he said simply before looking up at her. "There isn't any…"

"If you really think I'd try and feed you food you're allergic to, you either highly over or grossly underestimate me. Sorry to disappoint, Popstar. You can eat it all."

"Rockstar." Shane cut into his breakfast and Mitchie had to let out a little laugh when Shane moaned aloud after he placed a bite in his mouth. "This is so good!"

"That's what I said! And I don't lie."

"Everybody lies," Shane said off-handedly as he forked more food into his mouth. "It just happens."

"Well, I wouldn't lie about things as important as food." Mitchie snagged a home fry off his plate and popped it into her mouth.

"You are officially the coolest girl ever."

Mitchie laughed and stood up, stretching her back. She had on denim shorts with a flowing green top with a tan belt cinching it around her waist. The outfit was pretty cute to her…and to her mom, who was the owner of said shirt. She straightened up and addressed Shane, who had been watching her with a smile tugging on his lips.

"Well now who's lying, Mr. Gray?" He cocked his eyebrows at her. "Ask anyone at camp – it's only day two, but I'm sure they could tell you that I am not the coolest girl ever. I believe that title has been given out to Kylie Stiles or Tess Tyler."

"Are you jealous?" Shane didn't ask it in a vindictive way, oddly enough. He was simply curious as to how Mitchie looked at this situation.

"Of them? Not so much. I might not have the latest Prada bag, but I'll be able to look at myself in the mirror in 5 years and not hate myself for who I was." Shane just nodded. He didn't know what to say – he looked back on who he was 5 years previously, and he was impressed with himself. It was the _present_ day Shane that he hated.

"I should probably get going," Mitchie interrupted his silent musings. "I don't have the excuse of being the instructor for being late."

"I guess I should go actually teach this class today, huh?"

"Probably wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Well let me walk you to your class."

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Mitchie grabbed her messenger bag and started for the door. "I'm sure you don't want to get mobbed by a bunch of crazy girls."

Shane ignored her and grabbed a notebook and held the door open for her.

"You know, most girls would be clamoring for the chance to be seen in public with Shane Gray."

"Keep talking about yourself in the third person and I doubt anyone would be clamoring to hang out with you." Shane laughed at her but still looked like he wanted a response to his comment. "If we're being honest-"

"You said you were always honest," Shane pointed out. Mitchie glared at him but continued anyway.

"In anycase, hanging out with you is _probably_ just going to get more shit said to me." Shane actually stopped walking at this. Mitchie got a few feet away before she realized that he wasn't walking by her side anymore. "What, I get half a walk-to-class?" She joked.

Shane didn't respond but he did notice that sure enough, the other kids that were making their way to their classes were staring at not only him but _Mitchie_, too.

"Shane?"

He caught a few of the comments that people were making no effort to hide as they walked by and he knew his jaw was dropped.

"Do you want me to go…?" He asked after a few moments.

"Yes." Mitchie deadpanned. "I'm sure you leaving me here in the middle of this path will _definitely_ get people to stop saying things to me."

Shane didn't respond but he did start to slowly walk again.

"It's not that bad, Shane."

"Did you hear what some of they said?" He sounded mystified.

"I try not to listen," she commented dryly. "People say _much_ worse about you though. It's not that big of a deal."

"They don't say things to my face!"

"Well the next time someone says something to me, I'll tell them to publish it." Mitchie stopped outside the door to her production class. "Thanks for walking me here, Shane. I know it was probably more than you bargained for, but I appreciate it nonetheless."

"This is it? You have production first? You were worried about being late for _Nate_?" He gave her a little push into the class and walked behind her. She rolled her eyes but walked in and slid into her seat in the front row of the class.

"Front row, Torres? Really?"

"What can I say? I like to learn." She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed a full bodied laugh that had him tilting his head back. Mitchie was struck, not for the first time, at just how beautiful Shane Gray really was.

"Don't you have your own class to be in right now?" Nate came up from behind them, Caitlyn on his heels.

"Can't a guy walk a pretty girl to class?" He winked at Mitchie, to which she promptly rolled her eyes.

"Who's the pretty girl?" Caitlyn teased.

"Rude!" Mitchie laughed, giving the girl a shove.

"Shane?" Nate nodded to the open door, telling him to get out.

"Okay, okay, I'm going." He turned to Mitchie. "See you later?"

"I _am_ in your dance class."

"Well, what about like…after class?"

"…After class?"

"You know, like, after last class. We could hang out for a bit before dinner."

"I suppose that'd be okay…" Mitchie wanted to roll her eyes at _herself_ at that point for her horrendous attempt at flirting. Before Shane could say another thing, Nate cleared his throat loudly.

"_Shane_." Shane held his hands up in mock surrender.

"I'm going, I'm going!" He turned to Mitchie. "Don't forget, Torres. I know where you live."

"Shane! Get out!"

With a final wave to Mitchie, Shane bowed out of the classroom, almost causing some first year campers to pass out as he flashed a blinding smile at them.

"I don't know what you did, Mitchie, but thank you." Nate said quietly as the last of the campers filtered in.

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean that whatever you're doing, keep doing it. I mean, Shane's been making leaps and bounds these past few weeks, but it's just been us. Everyone else keeps treating him like he's this god and I just…I don't know. I think you treating him like the rest of the human race is really helping him."

"Well, I guess you're welcome? I'm not sure if you're right but he seems…sweet."

"Must be a sign of the apocalypse. Last time anyone called Shane 'sweet' was when he was five." He gave her a big grin. "So seriously, thank you."

With that, Nate moved back and called the class to order. He went over what they were going to be doing that day and later on, when Nate and Caitlyn were making the rounds to make sure everyone was on task and doing things correctly, Cait slid into the seat next to her.

"You're _changing_ him."

"Nate said he was already changing," Mitchie said without taking her eyes off the screen. Truth be told, she didn't know what to make of Nate's little speech.

"But he said it wasn't anything like what he's seen with him since he met you."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

Mitchie sighed and turned to face her. Seeing the resolution in Caitlyn's face, Mitchie launched into the story of their morning.

"That's so sweet!"

"Yeah, I told him he didn't need to walk me to class, but-"

"No, not that part!" Caitlyn thwacked her arm. "I mean he was upset that people were talking about you!"

"I'm not sure if upset is the word. He was more like confused as hell. And probably a little turned off. No one wants to hang out with the camp pariah."

"Oh yeah, he was so turned off that he wants to hang out with you after class." Mitchie blushed furiously at that. She had no comment – she didn't know what to think about that, either.

"I don't know what he wants with me, Cait. I really don't."

* * *

Soon enough, production was over and after the cutest goodbye Mitchie had ever seen between Caitlyn and Nate, the pair made their way to vocal lessons with Brown. That lesson, thankfully, passed by without incident. The class learned different techniques to warm up their voice and then worked on holding long notes. Mitchie was grateful to make it to lunch dry and in one piece.

Mitchie had managed to convince her mom to not have her help out in the kitchen for lunch, as she didn't want to miss a second of her classes. She had just piled her plate high with macaroni and cheese and rolls when she turned and ran into someone.

"Sorry!" She steadied her plate easily. "I wasn't looking!"

"That's okay!" A familiar perky voice replied.

"Jason?"

"In the flesh!" He cocked his head. "It'd be really gross if I was _out _of my flesh, don't you think?"

"Yes. I do think." Mitchie couldn't help but smile at him. "Are you eating lunch in the mess hall today?"

He nodded.

"Breakfast was so good, I felt like I had to come try out lunch." He grabbed a plate and filled it.

"Well, if you don't have other plans, you're more than welcome to eat with me and Caitlyn." Jason gave her a look that she couldn't place. "…But if you _do_, that's fine…?" He still didn't respond. "Jason?"

"Oh, sorry! Yes. I'd like to sit with you. Everyone else sort of just asked me if Nate and Shane were coming and then left when I said I didn't know. Thanks for asking."

"Don't thank me! Just come eat and tell me how great you think the food is," she joked. He followed her back to the table and sat next to her, saying hi to Lola and Caitlyn, whom were the only ones sitting there.

"Ugh, can I just say how bad of an idea it was to have dance class after lunch?" Mitchie complained after she had finished her mountain of mac and cheese. "I'm going to burst in the middle of class."

"Really?" Jason sounded concerned.

"Nope. Not really. But it could be a possibility if I keep eating."

"Well, maybe it's better than before lunch so you don't pass out!" Jason proclaimed. "I mean I know when Nate has low blood-"

"Body temperature!" Mitchie interjected. "When he has low body temperature, doesn't he get faint?" The table had now attracted somewhat of a crowd around it, with not a lot of people willing to sit at the same table as Mitchie, but a lot of people eager to hear what _Jason of Connect 3_ was doing with her. Mitchie knew that Nate didn't want his diabetes to become common knowledge at this point, and she knew that Jason would hate himself afterwards for spilling the beans, even if it was unintentional.

Jason gave her the most grateful look as he agreed with her.

"Mitchie, do you know how to build a birdhouse?" He asked suddenly as soon as the conversation had drifted into other territories.

"Um, I guess so?"

"YOU DO?" Jason practically screamed, causing the cafeteria to grow quiet.

"Uh, yes," Mitchie hissed. "My dad owns a hardware store. Is there a reason you just attracted the entire mess hall's attention?" Mitchie could feel her cheeks flaming as she felt the stares from hundreds of kids.

"I _really_ want one." He pled, clasping his hands together and pulling a puppy dog face on her.

"Okay…? Did you want me to help you with one?"

"YOU WILL?"

"Jason!" Mitchie put her face in her hands as everyone stared again. She nodded into her hands and could _hear_ the fist pump that Jason did in excitement. "I'll help you, but how about we keep it a secret, 'kay?" She whispered.

"Okay," he whispered back. "Do you want to work on it tonight?"

"How about after dinner? I'll see if I can get us some supplies and we can start tonight."

"I'm so excited!" He was really making quite the effort to keep his voice down.

Mitchie had thought she saw a whole bunch of extra plywood leaning next to one of the staff cabins – it looked as if a cabin had been recently torn down. She could probably get wood from there, and she knew that there was a toolbox in the kitchen. She wasn't quite sure where she was going to get a saw from, but she figured she could deal with that later.

Lunch ended with an excited hug from Jason and a promise from him that he'd be back for dinner (although Mitchie reminded him that they did have class together at the end of the day).

Mitchie and Andy were making their way to Shane's dance class, watching Caitlyn and Barron break it down on the walk there.

"Nope," Mitchie declared. "My body just doesn't move that way. It just _doesn't_."

"I'm pretty sure I'm 2 feet taller than the desired dancer's height." Andy hunched over. "If only I was 5 foot 1…"

Mitchie was about to take a step onto the stairs leading into the cabin when a force pushed her down. She fell forward but managed to steady herself by grabbing onto the stair in front of her. Of course, before she could push herself back up, yet another pushed came from the side this time, and she tumbled down.

"Really?" She asked the sky as Andy and Sander helped her up. "I'm not even in the classroom yet!"

"Ugh, they are such bitches!" Caitlyn fumed as the door swept behind the offenders.

"Kylie?" Mitchie inquired, as she hadn't caught a real glimpse at who her attackers were. Caitlyn nodded.

"And some other girl, but I don't know her name."

They finally got inside where Caitlyn did Mitchie the favor of wiping off the back of her shirt where dirt had gotten smudged from her fall. She picked a twig out of her hair and flicked it in the general direction of Kylie.

"I hate them," Caitlyn muttered.

"I thought you said you were going to try and not get tripped up," Shane's liquid smooth voice interrupted before Mitchie could concur with Cait. "You know, stay off the ground?"

"I heard Mitchie _liked_ being on her knees," a girl Mitchie had never seen before muttered from behind her.

"Clever," Mitchie snapped at her and turned away.

"Watch what you say in my class," Shane managed to say through clenched teeth.

"Why? I heard that's why you hang around with her." The obnoxious girl snapped her gum and flipped her blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"Get out." Shane pointed to the door, looking livid.

"_What_?"

"Shane-" Mitchie tried to get his attention but he was focused on the rude girl in front of him.

"You heard me. Get. Out. You disrespected me and you disrespected a camper. Get out and go see Brown. Now." The girl turned on her heel but before she could open the door, Shane continued. "If you even get the opportunity to come back to this class, you better come with a _hell_ of an attitude adjustment."

The door slammed behind her.

"Now does anyone _else_ have something to say?" Shane looked around the class. "Anyone that thinks that she was _funny_ can also leave." This was directed at Kylie and her lemmings, which, to their credit, had stopped laughing, although large smirks remained. He looked at Mitchie, who had her eyes closed and although she was looking down, what he could see of her face was very red. He figured he could ask her about it later, since she didn't seem all that comfortable with being the center of attention.

"Let's get started."


	10. Falling Over Me

**A/N: I am half falling asleep right now, but I had told myself to upload this yesterday and I ended up getting sick, so I'm forcing myself to do it now! I just want to thank everyone who reviews, especially those who do it consistently, for how happy you make me. I get a little burst of sunshine every time I see that someone liked what I wrote.**

**I really am about to pass out now, so sorry no song (I suck) and here you gooo!**

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* * *

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It was only Tuesday and Mitchie could've sworn that she was never going to be able to move her body after one week of dance classes with Shane Gray. She was already sore; she didn't see how she would be able to survive the entire summer continuing on like she was.

She trudged to her guitar lesson with Jason, who was conducting the course outside again. At least in the class she got to sit down and relax, just her and her guitar. The class was easy to her, since it was a diverse group of students. There were a few beginners and some people who had been playing only for a little while, then there were some others that, like her, had been playing for years. As much as she enjoyed Jason's class, she couldn't help but to look forward to spending some time with Shane. She didn't know him really well, but she knew that she wanted to. So when Jason glimpsed at his watch (ok, when some other camper _reminded_ him to look at his watch), and he announced the lesson was over, Mitchie was the first one to jump up.

"I'll see you at dinner, right Jason?"

"_Duh_. We need to talk color schemes!"

"Okay, well, you think of a few you really like, alright?" Mitchie shoved her notebook into her messenger bag.

"Consider it done! I'll make up some color swatches."

Mitchie didn't really know what to say to that, so she just grinned and nodded. As she turned to walk away with the rest of the students, something caught her eye. Shane Gray stood about forty feet away, leaning casually against a tree, looking all sorts of sinfully delicious.

She couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face as she made her way to him across the clearing where their guitar lessons had been held.

"Ditching class early, I see," she commented lightly.

"Hey, the kids were good! They deserved a few extra minutes." Shane let a devious smile spread across his face. "That, and they all looked about ready to pass out."

"Ugh, tell me about it!" Mitchie hung her head. "I'm not going to be able to move tomorrow. My _life_ hurts."

Shane let out a small laugh and reached over and grabbed her guitar case.

"Well, then let me take that, and we can get going."

"Shouldn't I go drop that off in my cabin?"

"Nah," he shook his head. "I wanted to play you something anyway." He turned and started to walk into the forest. Mitchie hesitated for a brief moment before hurrying to catch up.

"And you thought the best place for this to happen was in the woods?"

"Hah hah. And no, I'm not taking you to the woods. It's just a shortcut. I figured I'd give you a break from all the stares and whispers, too."

"My hero." Mitchie batted her eyelashes at him. "But, unfortunately, I think Jason has single handedly fueled the camp gossip for the rest of the week."

She recounted the tale of lunch, and how she had finally agreed to make a birdhouse with him.

"You can't tell him you know though! It's supposed to be a secret." Shane snickered and shook his head at her.

"You don't have to do that, you know," he told her after he managed to stop laughing.

"Do what?"

"Oh, you know, build a birdhouse with him."

"Why wouldn't I want to?"

"Listen, I know Jason can be a little –"

"_Awesome_?" Mitchie interrupted. "I spend five minutes with the guy and it's like I'm instantly reverted to my 8 year old self. Who wouldn't want that?"

Shane was a little skeptical.

"You mean you honestly don't mind building this birdhouse with him?"

"Of course not. He's picking out color schemes as we speak." She grinned at him slyly. "Besides, if I don't help him, who will? Because I heard of a certain jerky Popstar that shot down the birdhouse idea…"

"Me and Jason? With a hammer? Yeah, _that_ sounds like a great idea," Shane snarked back but with a smile on his face. Mitchie was about to respond when she suddenly stepped out of the woods and onto a…beach?

"How did we get to the lake?" She wondered aloud.

They were right on the edge, where the water came up to reach the tree line, before the trees and dirt turned to sand and rocks lining the shore. There were canoes lined up in front of them, with the dock not too far off. She could see the walking paths a little father beyond. It really was the perfect spot – sitting behind the canoes, no one would be able to see them from the paths and yet they had a perfect view of both the camp and the lake.

"I found this place when I was in my first year at Camp Rock." Shane led her over to the canoes and sat down easily, leaning against a nearby one. Mitchie sat down beside him, relaxing instantly.

"It's perfect. It's nice to get out from the prying eyes." She closed her eyes and let out a breath.

"Yeah. You know, it's nice to have someone who gets it."

"Uh-huh. 'Cause our lives are _so_ similar." Mitchie peeked an eye open, looking at him.

"Could be worse," he said simply.

"We are polar opposites, Shane Gray," Mitchie disagreed.

"Oh yeah? Why?" He challenged.

And that is how they found themselves, an hour later, still leaning against the canoe, guitar forgotten and shoes kicked off, talking about just how different they are.

"I don't get it. You say you live in California, if anything, you should be a Dodgers fan." Shane sounded legitimately outraged at Mitchie.

"And you live in California, too – and yet _you're_ not a Dodgers fan! And besides, I told you, my dad's from the east coast. I was _born_ a Red Sox fan."

"Well, I spend enough time in New York to be an honorary citizen. And I am telling you, the Yankees are going all the way this year."

"You are a fool. A very handsome fool, but a fool."

"You think I'm handsome?" Shane smirked.

"Couldn't you focus on the 'fool' part?" Mitchie groaned. "Besides, it's not like it's news to you. You _know_ you're attractive. Hell, you market yourself that way."

"_I_ don't," Shane said, suddenly serious. "The label does. The label does pretty much everything. Controls our music, controls our looks, controls our-"

"Attitudes?" Mitchie interjected.

"Well, no. But trust me, they wish they did."

"I bet they do."

"What do you mean?"

Mitchie didn't want to make him upset or get him to be all defensive, but she also didn't want to sugarcoat anything that she had to say. She chose somewhere in the middle – nothing as harsh as some of the things she had _thought_ about saying.

"I just mean, all the news reports are about how much you're pissing the label off by being this 'bad boy.' They can't be thrilled with their superstar going off on people all the time, or ditching charity events."

"The Leukemia Society thing?" Shane inquired, earning him a nod from Mitchie. "Okay, listen, I felt really bad about that. But they made it out to be something that it wasn't, and besides, I went back to the hospital afterwards and talked to the kids."

"They didn't mention that-"

"On Hot Tunes? In Pop Informer? That's because it wasn't a publicity stunt, Mitchie. I didn't go through the label for that, I just did it for myself."

Mitchie felt her face flush. She wasn't embarrassed, she just felt a little guilty. But on the other hand, how was she supposed to know?

"I didn't mean for you to get all defensive, Shane. I just…I didn't know. And yeah, it wasn't on Hot Tunes or in the magazines, but how else would I have _known_? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did the right thing. And I know that you're not this terrible, arrogant rockstar that the media makes you out to be. I just wish that other people saw that, too."

"You really think I'm a rockstar?" Shane asked with a twinkle in his eye, letting Mitchie know that he didn't behold her for thinking the things she did.

"I might have to rethink that 'arrogant' thing…"

"Favorite Connect 3 song?" Shane suddenly asked, situating himself against the canoes more comfortably.

"What?"

"C'mon, favorite Connect 3 song. This is me getting to know you."

"Well this is _me_ telling you that I'm not going to boost your ego even more. What's your favorite song…a song that's _not_ Connect 3?"

Shane raised his eyebrows. "You want me to choose a song by someone else?"

"Where would you be without all your heroes? All the people that _made_ you want to sing in the first place? All your favorite songs that get stuck in your head?"

"My heroes? Gosh…I don't know." Just when Mitchie was about speak up, he snapped his fingers and it was like a lightbulb went off over his head. "I've got it! 'Rebel Rebel' by David Bowie. Pure perfection."

"Solid choice," Mitchie agreed. "Mine would have to be 'The Longest Time' by Billy Joel. I could listen to it forever."

Shane watched her for a minute before Mitchie shifted under his uncomfortable gaze.

"Favorite movie?" Mitchie was now sitting facing Shane, her feet twisted into her lap, her shoulder resting on the canoe.

"Pulp Fiction."

"Never seen it."

"Are you kidding me?" The look on Shane's face was one of pure horror. Mitchie just shrugged. "It won Oscars! It is like, the quintessential crime film. It is everything a guy could ever want in a film."

Mitchie shot him a look. "Not exactly making me want to go see it."

"You'll see it. You will see it and you will love it." He looked so firm in his decision that Mitchie couldn't help but nod. "What's yours?"

"Probably…the Lord of the Rings trilogy." Shane's jaw dropped. "I know, I know, I am a huge geek. I'm not even that big of a science fiction fan, I just really like the movies."

"No, no! I mean, you're not a geek. I just don't think I've ever met a girl that said those were her favorite movies." Mitchie blushed intensely. "They're good movies. In fact, I haven't seen them in a while…we'll watch those after we watch Pulp Fiction."

"After we watch what now?"

"I told you that you had to see it. Why can't it be with me?"

Mitchie had to bite her tongue at that. There were so many reasons why it shouldn't be with him, but she knew that it wasn't the time to bring it up. In fact, she'd be perfectly content with them never talking about why they were so incompatible. But at the same time, she was going crazy overanalyzing everything. In her mind, they were so wrong for each other, but the more this conversation progressed, the more she realized how similar they were.

"Favorite candy?" She asked, switching subjects.

"Okay, favorite candy, or favorite sweet?" Shane sat up a little bit straighter. "This is a serious subject. I need clarification."

"Um, let's start with favorite sweet."

"Swedish fish. You?"

"Peanut M&Ms."

"Favorite TV show?"

"Law and Order. You?"

"The Office."

"Ooh, who's your favorite character?" Mitchie didn't realize that she had been inching closer and closer to him as their little game of questions carried on until she went to touch his knee excitedly and realized her knee was already touching his. She noticed this and inched back a little, trying to remain cool.

"Dwight. Easily."

"It would be," she joked. "Mine is Jim. I'm _kinda_ like a fangirl for Jim and Pam."

"You're a fangirl for characters on a TV show, but not a international sensation rock band?"

"I don't know anyone that's in a rock band…"

"_Funny_." He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to convince you I'm a rockstar by showing you my expensive things." Mitchie laughed out loud at the seriousness in his voice before she heard a soft 'click.' "_Or_ I was trying to get you to laugh so I could get a picture for my cell phone."

Mock outrage spread across her face. "Jerk!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me! I'm not the one that looks beautiful when I smile." His voice had a teasing tone to it, but Mitchie saw the seriousness underlying it.

"Beautiful, huh?" She murmured quietly, allowing some hair to fall off her shoulder and into her face.

"Yup," Shane answered back just as softly.

"Is this how you get all the Hollywood girls, Shane Gray?"

"By telling them they're beautiful and my favorite movie is Pulp Fiction? _Please._ I get them by telling them they're hot and that my favorite movie is The Notebook."

Mitchie cracked up at this and soon enough, Shane was laughing whole-heartedly, too.

"So, what do you say, Mitchie?" Shane asked after his laughter had subsided. "Can I have your number?" He had the audacity to pull the puppy pout on her, too.

"Ugh, you're pathetic," she said with a smile. "Give it here." She held her hand out for his phone. He handed it to her happily, and she quickly typed her number in and hit 'save.' The home screen popped up and Mitchie turned an even fiercer shade of red when she saw that it was her picture already as his wallpaper. She was about to make a sassy comment about it when she saw the time in the corner.

"Is that the time? Oh my god!" She leapt to her feet and ran her fingers through her hair worriedly. "Shane, I have got to get to the kitchen. I'm sorry, I didn't realize we had been talking for so long!"

Shane pushed himself up and grabbed her guitar.

"It's okay, it's fine. Do you want me to put your guitar in your cabin?" Mitchie's face lit up.

"Would you mind? That'd be so perfect! Ugh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She spontaneously hugged Shane, which he instantly reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her tightly. It took Mitchie a few more moments to realize where she was and the fact that she was supposed to be hurrying before she pulled away.

"I should…" she nodded to the general direction of the kitchen.

Shane cleared his throat, nodding. "Yeah, you probably should…"

Mitchie looked him in the eyes for a moment more, and with another quick 'thanks,' she took off for the paths leading to the kitchen. Shane watched her disappear, her legs carrying her swiftly as she pulled her hair up while running. He laughed aloud at her almost running down a younger camper, and could even hear her 'sorry!' from his position by the canoes.

He grabbed her guitar case and slung it on his back. As he made his way back to the staff cabins, he couldn't help but think that it was the best conversation he had had with anyone in a long time.

* * *

"I'm here!" Mitchie burst into the kitchen, attracting the attention of all the workers, including her mom.

"Yes, but where you _before_ you were here?" Her mom was smiling, so Mitchie knew she wasn't in actual trouble. Instead, her mom just looked curious.

"I got caught up," Mitchie answered cryptically, sliding on an apron. "Where do you want me?"

Connie pointed her to some vegetables and bowls. "Start separating, please? It's tacos tonight, but we're doing alright for time."

Mitchie nodded and began washing up when her mom sidled up to her.

"So, caught up with who?"

"Who says I was with somebody?" Mitchie refused to meet her eyes.

"Well, there was that boy that came to see you…"

"Shane, mom. Shane Gray."

"That's the one!" Connie feigned ignorance while Mitchie rolled her eyes and put down the head of lettuce that was in her hands.

"Yes, I was with him and no, it wasn't anything like you think it was. And _no_," she hurried on as Connie's mouth opened to comment, "he isn't like he comes across in the news. He's different."

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Then what?"

"I was going to say, what about Joey?"

"What _about_ Joey, mom? I broke up with him _months_ ago!"

"**You** broke up with **him**? But I thought you said-"

"What I _said_ was that I dumped him. What you heard from god knows who was that he dumped me. Not the case."

"Well, no matter who dumped who, aren't you going to get back with him? I mean, I'm sure this Shane character is nice, but you and Joey have a history…"

"Joey and I _are_ history. I can't go back to a relationship with him. I won't. And I'm not even in a relationship with 'that Shane character,' so it doesn't matter anyway."

"Sure you're not, honey."

Mitchie ignored her mother's patronizing tone and continued to shred lettuce viciously while Connie wandered away to finish preparing. Mitchie couldn't believe that she had the audacity to even assume that her and Joey were going to get back together. She may have not known about the hell that school was, but Mitchie had thought she explained the circumstances surrounding the breakup very clearly to her mom. Apparently not.

She continued to shred and slice and dice until it no longer held any therapeutic value to her. She didn't know why her mom had reacted that way. She had honestly thought that her mom had given up thoughts of Joey, or at least she would once she realized how happy Mitchie was without him (school not withstanding) and maybe Connie could even see that there were other possibilities for Mitchie, not _just Joey_. She was supportive in every other aspect of Mitchie's life, why not this one part?

"Ugh," she groaned, looking down at her hand. She hadn't realized just how frustrated she had been…until she felt the gooey mess of a tomato in her hand, which she had pulverized. She washed off the pulp and turned to her mother, who was watching her with wide eyes. "I'm leaving." Connie just nodded.

* * *

Mitchie went back to her cabin and changed into jeans before leaving for dinner. As she left, she ran into Jason and Nate coming out of their own cabin next door.

"Hey guys, going to the mess hall?"

"Yep, what's for dinner?" Jason bounded towards her, his curly hair bouncing lightly.

"Please, don't say tacos," Nate begged. "Don't say tacos."

"Well, I can't, 'cause it is." Mitchie was confused – were tacos a bad thing?

"REALLY?" Jason sounded absolutely _elated_. "Why are we still standing here? Let's go, people!"

"Why does he-" Mitchie tried asking Nate before she was unceremoniously scooped up and hoisted over Jason's shoulder in a fireman's hold. "Aaaaah!"

"Taking too long! We need tacos _now_."

Mitchie raised her head, intending to call over her shoulder for Jason to put her down, or at least for Nate to control him, when something caught her eye. Shane was watching from the window of his cabin with a strange expression on his face. She gave him a questioning look and a little wave, but his face remained the same. Mitchie was going to call out to him, but Jason started running with her still over his shoulder and she was soon only capable of shrieks.

* * *

Shane watched as Jason carried Mitchie away, unable to decipher what he was feeling. By all accounts, it shouldn't bother him as much as it did to see Jason hanging out with Mitchie. And that's all it was, anyway – hanging out. He knew that despite what it could've looked like to others, Jason wasn't actually _flirting_ with Mitchie. Was he? He _did_ say how excited he was to have Mitchie as a friend, and he wanted her help in building a birdhouse…but that wasn't how Jason acted with girls he liked…was it? He hadn't dated anyone in a long time, not since he had been in a long-term relationship with a girl that sold him out. His girlfriend had finally been able to get Jason to open up to her, to be serious and tell her about his hopes and dreams, and had then gone and sold them to the highest bidder. He hadn't even attempted to date anyone after that, so Shane really couldn't remember if this was his typical flirting M.O.

He let out a frustrated groan as he flopped into his bed. He had no right to feel this way! Mitchie wasn't his girlfriend. Mitchie was barely a _friend_ – he had only known her for a few days. And so what if Jason wanted to hang out with her? He should be encouraging Jason to get out there more, not resenting him. But at the same time, Shane wanted nothing more than to be the guy out there that scooped Mitchie up and ran with her in his arms. He wanted to get to know her, he wanted to watch Pulp Fiction with her and explain to her all the intricacies and throw popcorn at her when she made that face she seemed to make whenever she thought about something too hard…

With a spur of the moment decision, Shane hopped out of bed and grabbed his signature leather coat before swiping a comb through his hair. He hadn't planned on going to dinner, opting instead to avoid the hushed whispers and blatant stares that his bandmates were apparently comfortable with, but he figured the campers would have to get used to him _sometime_. And since he – and most of the camp – had just heard Jason announce that it was tacos for dinner, he knew that it was food that he could eat without running the risk of anaphylactic shock.

He headed to the mess hall, a smile playing on his lips. He was surprisingly happy with his decision to eat with his friends.

"'Oy there!" He was about to open the doors to the mess hall, when Brown's voice cut through the air. He turned to see him jogging up to him. "You know, you're going to give me a complex. First, you don't even show up to some classes. Now, you're sending people to my office. It's enough to make my head spin." Brown came to a stop in front of him.

"Yeah, about that…" Shane didn't really know what was proper procedure for kicking kids out of class. He had acted on pure instinct today, and he wasn't even sure if he was _allowed_ to do it.

"Yes, well, as happy as I am that you are taking this teaching gig seriously, you can't go kicking people out of class every time they talk out of turn."

"Talk out of turn? Are you kidding me?" Shane couldn't believe the girl had actually gone so far as to lie about the reason she was kicked out of class. "That's what she told you?"

"Yes, Shelley said that she failed to raise her hand when answering a question and you, so kindly, gave her the boot."

"No no no. That's not what happened. She talked out of turn when she went to insult another camper, and then me."

"Really? What did she say?"

Shane became a bit embarrassed when he thought about what the girl – this Shelley girl – had said to Mitchie.

"Do you _really_ want to know?" He asked. Brown seemed to ponder this for a bit.

"Just write up a report. Nothing too big," he hurried on, seeing the apprehension on Shane's face. "Just write why you kicked her out…the entire situation. I'll deal with it from there."

"Thanks, Uncle Brown."

"Not a problem. Thanks for being the uncool teacher this year; I _so_ didn't want to be that guy again. So, are you braving the masses and eating with the common folk tonight?" He nodded to the cafeteria.

"Thought I'd try it out for a bit," he answered noncommittally.

"I'll let you get to it, then. Let me know if anyone tries to mob you…maybe we can kick them out of the mess hall."

Shane just rolled his eyes and opened the doors. By now he was definitely one of the last campers in, and thankfully, it wasn't hard for him to find Mitchie and her friends. They were the only table that didn't stop everything they were doing when he walked in. They were sitting at a table by a screened in window with only three benches which were occupied by Mitchie, Nate, Jason, Caitlyn, Lola, Barron, Sander and Andy. He noticed that Jason and Mitchie were sitting together on a bench, but he instantly told himself to cool down and not let it bother him. Besides, that just meant that there was room for him to sit next to Mitchie.

"Is there room at this table for one more?" He asked quietly into Mitchie's ear. She let out a little gasp of surprise before hitting him lightly in the stomach.

"You scared me half to death!" She glared at him as he slid in next to her. He flashed her a smile and greeted the rest of the table.

"Thought you didn't feel up to coming to dinner, man?" Nate asked curiously. Shane just shrugged.

"I wasn't, but then I think everyone in this hemisphere heard how excited Jason was for tacos that I couldn't help myself."

"There's no chocolate sauce," Jason whined.

Shane began to make a taco as Caitlyn consoled Jason. He helped himself to the taco shells in the center of the table, which was occupied by a lazy Susan type platform which contained small bowls of all the typical taco toppings.

"They're hot," Mitchie warned as he went to go put some peppers on his taco. "Just saying – no one else is a big fan of them. They're some sort of Mexican tradition; I'm used to them, but apparently no one else is."

"I love spicy food," he reassured her. "Hot Buffalo wings are my favorite food."

"Hmm…" Mitchie popped a pepper in her mouth. "Good to know."

"So, Mitchie, are you going to perform in this weekend's jam?" Lola asked politely.

"I hadn't really thought about it…it is only Tuesday. What's the theme, anyway?" The table looked at her as though she had five heads.

"Girl, we will get you a schedule," Caitlyn insisted.

"What's the big deal?"

"Most of the people here have been planning what they're going to perform for _weeks_ now." Lola explained. "They've got everything down to their outfits picked out."

"I just found out I was going to Camp Rock like, a week before I came." Mitchie swallowed to prevent herself from sounding overwhelmed, which she was. "But whatever. We'll see what happens."

"Well this week is the Beatles Jam," Caitlyn told her. "It's basically campers putting their own spin on a Beatles song. It's not as personal as performing an original piece, but it's always fun to see what people come up with." Mitchie let out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding.

"Maybe I'll do it then, I don't know."

"Even without anything planned?" Lola looked skeptical.

"Well, who doesn't know Beatles songs? I grew up playing those, I can just choose one, right? We can do any song?"

"Yeah, although it's pretty much just a whole bunch of campers singing 'Let It Be' or 'Love Is All You Need,'" Nate remembered from his time at camp.

"Are you guys gonna play?" Mitchie asked excitedly.

"We will if you do," Shane said quickly, earning strange looks from both Jason and Nate. They had already committed to playing a song at every jam, but Mitchie didn't know that, and Shane had to admit, he was very curious about her voice.

"O-o-okay," Mitchie managed, before nodding, growing more confident. "Okay, yeah. I will play. And so will you."

"Good thing we were already – OW!" Jason rubbed his shin. "Who keeps kicking me?"

* * *

The rest of dinner passed by uneventfully. Shane was pleasantly surprised to find that Mitchie made an effort to keep everyone involved in the conversation, never letting the topics to be one sided. They were having so much fun that eventually they realized that they were one of the last tables to be occupied in the mess hall.

"Mitchie!" Connie poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, okay," Mitchie called back, turning to her friends. "I really got to start cleaning up. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"I'll help!" Caitlyn hopped up, starting to stack plates.

"You don't need to, really – you help enough, Cait." Caitlyn just shrugged this off. "I'll be right back, I've got to go grab some stuff from the kitchen, but Jason, I'll find you after, okay?"

She didn't wait for him to respond as she headed for the kitchen, grabbing some towels and the rolling cart to stack plates and silverware. She pushed it out through the swinging doors and was taken aback by what she saw.

Caitlyn, Nate, and Jason were stacking plates and Lola, Barron, Sander and Andy were filling empty cups with silverware and clearing off the lazy Susans.

"What are you guys doing?" Mitchie asked softly, not really expecting a response.

"Didn't think we'd just leave you to clean up this whole mess, did you?" Shane appeared suddenly to the side of her.

"It's too much…"

"For you to do all by yourself. My thoughts exactly." He grinned at her, which she couldn't help but to mirror.

"You know what I mean, Shane…" He just shrugged innocently and grabbed some towels.

"Get to work, slacker," he said as he tossed one at her, which she caught instinctively. He then went to the corner of the room where the sound system was and turned on the radio, having it echo around the room from speakers throughout.

And that's how Connie found them a few minutes later when she went to investigate the noise. A Connect 3 song was blaring from the Top 40 station with laughable vocals being provided by Lola and Caitlyn, imitating the three boys that stared at them in disbelief. Barron and Sander were doing all the cheesy boy band dance moves that they could think of, all while piling dishes. Mitchie just watched them with a smile on her face as she washed down the tables, wondering what she did to deserve such great friends.


	11. Blackbird

**Author's Note: Hellooooo! Here is the next chapter and I hope you guys like it a lot – we're starting to get to the fun drama! Next chapter will be the first Jam and you will NOT want to miss that. It gets all sorts of crazy! I hope you like this chapter, and thank you so much for the reviews and messages. They make me absolutely thrilled to be able to continue posting this story. Love youuuuuuuuuus!**

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* * *

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"Bye, guys," Mitchie called to her friends as Lola and her guys left, leaving her with the members of Connect 3 and Caitlyn. "That's definitely the fastest I've ever cleaned the mess hall before…or anyone has, for that matter."

"It's cool. Besides, I'd do it again if I could hear Caitlyn try to reach that falsetto note again," Nate kidded.

"I'm sorry your voice is that of a prepubescent girl," Caitlyn teased. "We can't all be that lucky."

"Hey! That's an old song! I was younger."

"It was last year!"

They continued to bicker as Mitchie turned to Jason and Shane.

"Keep an eye on them, won't you?" Mitchie asked Shane. "I'm nervous they'll accidentally kill each other before they make out or something."

"Done. So are you two…?"

"We're gonna go grab a few things but then we'll be in my cabin if you need us."

"But we're not doing anything!" Jason spoke up. "We are doing _nothing_. There will be nothing going on. We are not building anything, either! We're doing nothing."

"Well, I think you convinced them, Jase." Mitchie grabbed his wrist and started to pull him away. "See you guys later!"

Mitchie let Jason talk about what colors he wanted to paint the birdhouse with the occasional veto from herself. She was not letting him paint the birdhouse brown and black, no matter how much he thought it would camouflage. She led him to the pile of scrap wood she had spotted earlier and directed him to find the pieces that looked the best - dry, with no or very few nails in it.

They finally made their way back to Mitchie's cabin, arms full of wood.

"Just drop it on the floor," she instructed. "Now where is the…"

"You owe me, daughter," Connie Torres said as she came in the cabin, holding a small wood saw and a toolbox. "This took a little convincing to get, so no chopping off body limbs, do you understand me?"

"Brown just gave it to you? That's great!"

"Yes, well, as soon as I mentioned that it was for a birdhouse for a certain member of Connect 3, he seemed to understand completely."

"What? No one has ever made me one before, but I've asked _a lot_!" Jason sat down on the floor next to the pile of wood.

"I don't even want to know," Connie said as she backed out of the cabin. "I'll be with some of the staff in the kitchen having coffee and going over the plans for the next few weeks if you need me, okay?"

"Great!" Mitchie plopped down next to Jason. "Let's get started!"

* * *

After two hours, Mitchie was pleased with their progress. It was just a base and the four walls, but it was sturdy and that was all she cared about. She had built a few birdhouses with her dad when she was younger, so she had a general idea of what to do, but she had never realized how much work it was when you were the one doing the building and not the little kid, watching in awe. That was Jason's role.

"I like the door!" Jason said for the tenth time. He _would_ like the door- that had been his chief decision of the night. Mitchie had penciled in the size of the door that she had anticipated, and Jason had quickly overruled her. It was now a large square that sat in the middle of the wall section. She had actually had to convince him to make it smaller as to not let in other animals.

"It's a nice door." Mitchie stood up and looked down on their work. Four walls, one with a square in it, and a base. It wasn't much, but it was the beginning of a birdhouse.

"Can we keep it in here?"

"Of course! We can keep it a secret better this way anyway," Mitchie agreed.

"Well, it's not that late – you should come over and watch some TV with us!"

"Wait a second! You guys have a TV in your cabin?"

"Yeah we do! We live like rockstars here.

"Jase," Mitchie held open the door for him, "you guys _are_ rockstars."

"But then why do you call Shane a Popstar? It drives him crazy." He paused for a second. "_Ohhhhhh_."

They had just reached the bottom of the steps to her cabin when footsteps attracted their attention.

"Well I guess it's true, what Kylie says," Tess Tyler approached Mitchie and Jason. "You really _don't_ waste your time."

"What are you doing here, Tess? These are staff cabins."

"Exactly – what are _you_ doing here?" Tess flicked some of her blonde hair over her shoulder and waited for her to respond.

"This is my cabin."

"You're staying in the staff cabins? Are you…oh my God. Torres. Like the _cook_ here, right? You're the cook's daughter?" Mitchie didn't give her the satisfaction of a response. "Wow, you really _are_ a nobody."

"That's what they tell me," Mitchie spat out. "Come on, Jason. Let's just go."

Jason made to follow her before pausing in front of Tess.

"Mitchie isn't a nobody. You're just jealous." With that, he followed Mitchie the forty feet down the path to his own cabin.

"Sorry about that, Jase," Mitchie said as she waited outside the door to Connect 3's cabin. "You shouldn't have to deal with that. I don't know what you said to her, but you didn't have to, really."

"You shouldn't have to deal with it either," he said simply before opening the door and leading the way in.

"Deal with what?" Shane asked the second they stepped foot inside.

"Eavesdropping, Mr. Gray?" Mitchie asked as she flopped into the same seat she had occupied that morning during their breakfast. It was strange how it seemed like so long ago to her.

"The majority of this cabin is screened in, it was impossible not to hear," Nate defended. He and Caitlyn were sitting on his bed, backs against the headboard, as they watched the TV that had been set up in the corner. Mitchie couldn't be sure if it had been there that morning or not, as she had been so distracted.

"Just Tess Tyler drama," Mitchie explained, reaching for some of the caramel popcorn in the bowl that Shane offered her.

"You okay?" It was times like these that Mitchie could really see herself falling for Shane Gray. When he looked at her with those intense eyes, asking if she was okay, like she really mattered.

"It was no big deal," she smiled back.

"Okay, great, but can we continue watching Whose Line Is It now?" Caitlyn looked slightly put out.

"Ooh, my favorite!" Mitchie exclaimed, hopping onto the bed beside Shane.

"You're gonna fit in just fine, Torres," he said as he put the bowl of popcorn between them. "Just fine."

* * *

Mitchie didn't get to see Shane much in the following days. He would occasionally stop in for lunch or dinner with the gang, but they didn't have any time to themselves like they had with their conversation by the canoes. All of Mitchie's free time was ate up by Caitlyn, who insisted on hearing every single Beatles song Mitchie had ever learned to play, and then added her own production elements to it. Mitchie was sure the first song she played would be just fine, but Caitlyn wanted to choose the best one possible for Mitchie's "Camp Rock debut."

She still saw him in dance class, of course, but except for him admonishing students that went out of their way to be rude to her (Shelley never did end up coming back to class), he sort of had his hands full with actually _teaching_.

She was just getting her stuff collected from dance class on the Friday before the Beatles Jam when Shane popped up next to her.

"How do you _do_ that? It's like one minute you're not there, the next: poof!"

"I'm magic," he explained with a cocky grin.

"Oh, really? I don't remember them saying anything like that in Pop Informer…"

"You'll have to give it to them for their next expose." That was their inside joke – that Mitchie was actually compiling information for the next big Shane Gray career-ruining article. He had actually suggested it with a current of seriousness underlying it, but Mitchie reassured him that even if she _did_ want to sell him out, it couldn't possibly hurt him. After all, with everything he'd told Mitchie so far, it actually only made him come across as an even cooler person than he was before.

"Let me walk you to class," he suggested as he realized that she had been standing in front of him, not moving.

"Don't you have class next?" She asked although she did walk out the door with him. He just shrugged.

"It's a free period. They can all work on their stuff for Beatles Jam."

"Do they know this already?" Mitchie laughed.

"They'll find out when their superstar teacher doesn't show up," he tossed back with a wink.

"Just when I thought you changed…" She teased good-naturedly. They walked side by side for a few moments in companionable silence before Shane spoke.

"So, are you going to tell me what song you're going to be doing tomorrow?"

"As soon as I know! Caitlyn has legitimately heard me play through or at least sample twenty different Beatles songs. She keeps saying that she'll 'know it when she hears it.'"

"This isn't fair," Shane whined. "Caitlyn's heard you play an entire Beatles album, and I haven't heard a thing."

"Good things come-"

"To those who wait, yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "It's still not fair."

"Well, it's not like I know what you guys are performing either! Give me a hint. Give me a year."

"Okay, the sixties. But that's all you get! No more. The guys will kill me if I spill the beans."

"The _sixties_? Okay, that didn't help at all. It could be anything!" Shane ignored her and tried a different topic.

"Have you looked at the rest of the Jam schedule?" Mitchie gave him a sidelong look but answered him anyway.

"Yeah, most of them look like fun. Although I'm a little confused on 'Bubblegum Jam' – what is the theme, exactly?"

"That one's my favorite! Most people get confused on it, and just show up chewing bubblegum. But that's not the real theme – the real theme is bubblegum _pop_ music."

"And _that's_ your favorite?" Mitchie smirked at him.

"Hey, those *NSync guys knew what they were doing, that's all I'm saying." They shared a laugh over that.

"So it's like a throwback to the pop of the late nineties?"

"Yeah! Britney, Christina, Backstreet, you know…the classics."

"Those aren't 'classics,' Popstar, but it sounds like fun." She shot him a glance. "So are you going to grace us with your presence at dinner tonight?"

"Hmm…what's on the menu?"

"World famous Torres pasta. We sort of just add 'World Famous Torres' to any meal that is significantly plain but we want to make it sound great. Except for our burgers – I'm pretty sure my dad thinks they're gourmet quality."

"Well with a name like that, I feel like I have to go and make sure it's living up to their potential, don't I?"

"I guess you do." Mitchie gave him a flirtatious smile as they came up to the edge of the cabin where Jason's lessons always started out. "Well, I guess I should get in there. Start consoling Jason about his birdhouse. He doesn't think it'll ever get finished."

"It's been like, three days!"

"Tell me about it." Mitchie shifted her messenger bag from one shoulder to the other. "See you at dinner, Popstar."

Shane let out a fake groan. "That's _rockstar_ to you!"

Mitchie just shook her head and headed into the classroom, where she noticed Jason was restringing his guitar at the front of the class. She smiled to a few kids that didn't give her death glares and slid into a seat.

"Hey, Mitchie." Peggy stood in front of her, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Uh, hi Peggy." Mitchie and Peggy had a tenuous almost-friendship. She helped keep Jason focused during class, and she would always try to get the attention off Mitchie if it had somehow strayed there, and the two frequently shared smiles at Jason's antics, but they didn't really have conversations. After all, Peggy made it quite clear that she was Tess's friend and that didn't seem to have any room to include Mitchie.

"Are you, um, performing tomorrow night?"

"I was thinking about it, yeah. Are you?"

"With Tess." She didn't look particularly thrilled about it. "Listen, I…oh, gosh," she ran a hand over her face.

"What's wrong?" Mitchie was beginning to have a bad feeling about this.

"It's just…okay, I know you're probably going to take this the wrong way, but I wouldn't perform tomorrow night if I were you."

"Did…is this what Tess wants? She wants you to convince me to not perform?"

"No! This is me, trying to…ugh, I'm not good at this. And I'm sorry. But if you perform tomorrow night, I don't think it'll go well for you." Peggy closed her eyes and scrunched her face in blatant discomfort.

"Is Tess planning something?" Mitchie didn't know why Peggy looked like _she_ was the one who had just received bad news. Maybe she thought Mitchie would shoot the messenger?

"Her…and Kylie. They have a…a bet."

"Are they _friends_ now?" Mitchie tried to keep her voice level, but it was hard. Kyle Stiles and Tess Tyler being friends was almost guaranteed to ruin Mitchie's summer, if not her life.

"No!" Peggy's eyes popped open and she looked to be sincere. "I'm pretty sure they're also plotting against each other, at least Tess is, but I just…I just wanted you to know. You seem nice."

"What's the bet?" Mitchie asked softly.

"Huh?"

"The bet. About me. What is it?"

"Oh, um…" Peggy looked to be _more_ uncomfortable, if that was possible. "They want to see who can…who can make you cry first."

Mitchie closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. How did people even learn to be so cruel?

"What are the stakes?" Peggy hesitated. "C'mon, Peggy, it doesn't really matter. And trust me when I say that neither one of them is winning this bet."

"The winner gets Shane Gray."

…

Oh, _hell no_.

* * *

Mitchie didn't know whether to tell Caitlyn about the bet. On the one hand, she did want someone who could help her keep an eye open for…she didn't even know what. Sabotage attempts, she assumed. But on the other hand, she didn't want more attention brought to herself, and Caitlyn was guaranteed to get good and pissed at this. In fact, she was likely to get violent, and Mitchie wanted to avoid that at all costs.

She was preoccupied with thoughts of the bet all through her lesson with Jason and preparing dinner and then at dinner itself, she found herself over-analyzing everything. She knew it was getting bad when _Jason_ asked her why she seemed to be staring at Kylie and Tess. She quickly excused herself from dinner shortly after that.

Not surprisingly, Caitlyn popped into her cabin a few minutes later. She thought it over for about a minute before telling Caitlyn all she knew about the bet.

"I fucking _hate_ them," Caitlyn seethed. "Who _does_ that? Who makes bets like that about a person's emotions? And don't you dare, Mitchie," she whirled and pointed a threatening finger at her, "try and tell me that this isn't a big deal. You can't possibly be cool about this."

"I'm never 'cool' about things, Cait. And this obviously bothers me enough to tell you."

"You should tell Brown."

"And he'll do what, exactly? Be on the lookout for people who want to make me cry? For all he knows, I'm an overemotional girl who cries at the drop of a hat." Mitchie shook her head reluctantly. "There's nothing he can do."

"Then tell Shane."

"Noooo way. I am not getting him involved in my petty drama. Besides, he shouldn't be choosing sides in this entire thing anyway. He's an instructor, after all."

"I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure he's already picked a side. We all have."

"You say that like you had a choice," Mitchie teased to lighten the mood, but Caitlyn just gave her a look that said 'nice try.'

"Well, you haven't cried yet over them and they have done some pretty heinous things to you." _Little does she know_, Mitchie thought bitterly, although she did pride herself on not having cried at camp yet. To everyone here, she was strong, sarcastic Mitchie Torres, who didn't give a damn what people thought of her. If only it could stay that way for one more night…

* * *

Mitchie woke up the next morning with equally overwhelming feelings of apprehension and excitement. She knew she was probably tempting the fates by performing today, and she wasn't exactly looking forward to anything that the two spawns of Satan were going to throw at her, but she knew that she had to be strong for this. Showing weakness was not an option.

She helped out in the kitchen preparing French toast, not particularly bothered by her usual friend's absence. She had told Cait to sleep in; Saturdays were Saturdays no matter where you were. She used this alone time to mentally prepare and steel herself for what was to come. The Jam wasn't until about 5 p.m., so you would think that she had plenty of time to herself to prepare, but Mitchie knew that Caitlyn was going to want to hear her play the seven hundredth Beatles song, although Mitchie had actually sort of decided on one already. Unless Caitlyn had another one that she was determined to hear Mitchie perform, she sort of had her heart set on playing 'Blackbird.'

She let out another uneasy breath before closing her eyes and smiling. It would go good tonight. It had to.

* * *

"So, Caitlyn," Mitchie began. They had just finished eating breakfast, although it was just the two of them and the boys of Connect 3 this morning, who were currently distracted. Nate and Shane were trying their hardest to get Jason to catch the pieces of hash browns that they were throwing at the same time in his mouth.

"Yes, dear?" Caitlyn tore her eyes away from the spectacle that was her newfound famous friends.

"All this talk about what I'm going to perform, and you know, you've never told me what you're doing." Mitchie raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Well, ok…you're right. And don't get mad! I just…you're sort of part of my project, too."

"Caitlyn," Mitchie fought to keep her voice level. "How am I part of your project without my knowledge?"

"You know those Beatles songs you sang…?" Caitlyn scratched the back of her neck nervously. "I _might've_ used a few clips in my final product."

"A few clips?" Mitchie echoed. "How many is a few?"

"Well, the good news is that none of those songs I made you rehearse will go to waste, right?"

Mitchie grabbed her song notebook from her bag and started hitting Caitlyn with it.

"You made me play like thirty songs!" Mitchie said in between hits. "You were going to let me choose all along, weren't you?"

Caitlyn was cracking up as she tried to defend herself.

"Stop, stop! You are crazy!"

"Whoa!" Shane grabbed Mitchie's notebook from her hands, which she promptly tried to retrieve. "Ah-ah-ah!" He held it up above his head as both him and Mitchie stood.

"Give it to me," she pled.

"No more hitting Caitlyn."

"But she lied to me," Mitchie whined.

"Hey now, I didn't lie," Caitlyn spoke up. "I just wasn't entirely truthful about my motives."

"You made me sing a zillion songs!"

"They were all _really good_ by the way!"

"_So_ not the time to suck up, Caitlyn."

"I think it's the perfect time, although she's sucking up to the wrong person." Shane waved the notebook tauntingly in the air. "What did you want to say to _me_?"

"_Oh, Shane_," Caitlyn batted her eyelashes dramatically. "You're the dreamiest Popstar in all the land, what would we ever do without your cookie cutter pop music?"

"Really?" Shane lowered his hands, defeated. "I try to help a girl out, and that's what I get."

Mitchie grabbed her notebook from the distracted musician and went to lunge at Caitlyn again but Shane snagged her around the waist and carried her a few feet away. Mitchie mock pouted as he put her down, keeping her arms pinned at her sides.

"Come on, Mitchie, aren't you even a little bit curious as to hear what I created? It sounds awesome."

"Okay, fine," Mitchie grumbled, breaking free of Shane and grabbing her messenger bag from under the table.

"Uh-uh!" Caitlyn shook her head at Shane, Jason and Nate, who had also stood up to follow them. "You guys have to wait until tonight."

"But why does she get to hear it and we don't?" Shane complained.

"Because _she_ is actually involved. Besides, Nate already heard it, we worked on it together in production."

"Now it's really unfair!"

Caitlyn just grinned. "Bye boys!" And with that, she pulled Mitchie out of the mess hall and towards her cabin.

* * *

"That's _me?_"

"Yup," Caitlyn nodded. Mitchie didn't even know what to say. She honestly wouldn't have thought that had been her voice coming through her computer's speakers. Caitlyn had indeed taken clips from all the Beatles songs she had sung and meshed them into one hell of a mix. They flowed from one song to another and a lot of times she would use beats from different Beatles songs, or even beats from popular rap music. The final product was amazing.

"Wow. Just wow. You are so great, Caitlyn. That sounds awesome."

"So you're really not mad about me using your voice?"

"When it comes out like that, how can I be mad?" Caitlyn sighed in relief. "But now really, which song should I do now?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "Whichever one you like the most?" Mitchie thwacked her with a pillow.

"A lot of help you are. I was thinking maybe, um, 'Blackbird'?"

"That one sounds amazing. You don't even need any producing elements in it – I think it'd be perfect with just you and your acoustic."

"Really?" Mitchie fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"Yes, really. Trust me, if it needed anything extra, I'd be all over it. But still, do you want to go over it a few times with me?"

"Would you mind?"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "Go get your guitar!"

* * *

They spent the rest of the afternoon practicing and talking and doing all the typical best friends sort of things that Mitchie had tried to convince herself that she didn't need in her life anymore. It was excellent. They didn't even go to lunch in the mess hall, instead opting to pig out on snacks that Caitlyn had hoarded under her bed.

"Are you nervous?" Caitlyn asked as they made their way back to Mitchie's cabin. It was getting late in the afternoon and Mitchie wanted Caitlyn's opinion on what to wear that night.

"More nervous than I've ever been in my entire life," Mitchie admitted before coming to a halt in the middle of the path. "Caitlyn, I can't do this. I'm so stupid for even thinking I can. We don't even know what they're going to do tonight!"

Before Caitlyn could comfort her, Jason, Nate and Shane came around the corner, spotting them. They were wearing long coats covering their clothes and Shane was sporting a newsboy cap to boot.

"Hey guys." Shane looked between the two girls. "What's wrong?"

Mitchie rubbed her hands over her face, trying to calm herself down.

"Mitchie is having a major case of the stage frights," Caitlyn explained.

"It's not like I think I'm not going to be able to perform, it's just…what if no one likes me? What if they all just hate it? They already hate me, so it's really not that far off…"

"Mitchie, if you sound anything like what I've heard from working with Cait on her project, then you'll do great. You've got a great voice," Nate said gently.

"Are you playing guitar?" Jason asked excitedly. Mitchie nodded, unsure of where he was going with that. "Then how could they _not_ love you? You're awesome on guitar!" Mitchie had to smile at that.

"Thanks, guys…it's just that everyone already thinks that I don't deserve to be here. I don't really want to give them more fuel for the fire."

"You won't," Shane said firmly. "You are going to get up on that stage and sing your ass off and prove to them why you're here in the first place. Camp Rock is for the best, Mitchie. And you're here for a reason…now it's time to show everyone what that reason is." He stepped closer to her so that their chests were touching, looking down at her with a flirtatious glint in his eyes. "Now are you going to perform tonight or do I have to make you? I know where you live, Torres."

"You couldn't make me do anything," Mitchie flirted brazenly. "But…I'll see you tonight."

Shane winked and tipped his cap at her.

"Now if you'll excuse us," Nate ushered Jason and Shane away from the girls, "we've got to go do a mini soundcheck. We'll see you later on tonight!"

"Yeah," Shane called back. "We'll be the ones with the bad British accents!"

"I thought you said I sounded good?" Jason cried. "I don't sound good?"

* * *

***I uploaded a beautiful cover of the 'Blackbird' by Evan Rachel Wood, from the movie Across The Universe to my twitter! (/sammmmanthaj) Enjoy it!**


	12. I've Just Seen A Face

**Author's Note: Hi all! So we've finally reached the first Jam, and the drama really starts to unravel. Only the first part of the Jam is in this chapter, but I was thinking I could upload the second part tomorrow night if people really want to know what happens! Enjoy thisss please! Love yous!**

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"This one," Caitlyn declared, lying out a long, cream colored t-shirt with multi colored paint splatters running vertically on it. "With…this." A cream colored coat was soon positioned against it, with Caitlyn nodding.

"Jeans?" Mitchie asked tiredly. She had been watching Caitlyn mull over her closet for the past 15 minutes, occasionally asking questions about where she got some particular item, but for the most part, talking to herself about the different pieces.

Mitchie was surprised that she could even still be looking after 15 minutes – her closet wasn't exactly overflowing, especially since she had only brought the minimum to camp.

"Let's go for some traditional boot cut blues." Caitlyn looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, right, sorry. That drawer over there," she pointed. Caitlyn shuffled through the drawer before pulling out a pair triumphantly.

"Perfect! And I have some great heels that you can borrow that will make this look great."

"I've never even seen you in heels, Cait."

"_You're_ gonna wear them." Caitlyn looked as if that made all the sense in the world to her.

"…Right. Why don't we stick to flats tonight? I've got some pink ones that I think would match and let's be honest, do we really want to chance me falling over all on my own?"

"You're right, you'll probably be tripped, anyway." Caitlyn looked up instantly as the words poured out of her mouth. "I'm sorry, Mitchie! It's just…"

"No, no, you're right." She flopped onto her bed. "They probably will try to trip me – or worse."

"I promise you that I'm going to be on the lookout the entire time, okay? If I see anything sketchy, I will do everything I can to stop it."

"Try to keep it nonviolent, will you? Not sure if I could handle you getting kicked out and leaving me all by myself here."

"I'll try," Caitlyn grinned and nudged her. "Now get dressed! I'm going to go get changed in my cabin, but I'll meet you by the mess hall, okay?"

Mitchie nodded and shooed her out of her cabin. The Beatles Jam was being held in the mess hall tonight, much like Opening Night Jam, just because it was one of the larger venues in the camp with a sound system already hooked up. She was told that only the Final Jam and whichever Jam that fell on Parents & Friend's weekend would be held in the auditorium, which was practically _too_ big for just students and no visitors.

She got changed and checked herself out in her mirror – not bad. Caitlyn definitely knew her stuff when it came to putting together outfits. Not that Mitchie was incapable of doing so for herself, but sometimes it was nice just to be told what to put on and not have to think about it.

She straightened her shirt and slipped on her flats, giving one last tousle to her lightly curled hair. It was loose today, falling a few inches below her shoulders, but Mitchie was glad it didn't look bad enough to have to be put up in a ponytail.

"You can do this," she told herself. "You _have_ to do this."

She grabbed her guitar and headed out of her cabin, repeating those two phrases to herself over and over again.

* * *

"Am I a genius or what? You look great!" Caitlyn pulled her down the path towards the mess hall.

"You look really good tonight, too," Mitchie managed to get out. She was having a hard time opening her mouth at this point, but Caitlyn really did look nice. She was wearing tight black skinny jeans with a looser royal blue top that had an open crochet type of neckline. With her hair falling in soft ringlets and… "Are you wearing makeup?"

"Well _one_ of us had to. Are you just wearing lip gloss?"

"I'm so nervous that I would probably just sweat off any makeup I tried to put on."

"Okay, gross. But good to know."

They finally reached the mess hall where there was a huge group of students congregating against the bulletin board outside.

"Oh, they're just looking at the lineup for tonight, but don't worry, I already looked." Mitchie didn't even want to question _how_ Caitlyn managed to see the lineup already. "You're last, I think, and I'm a few before you. The guys are opening up the Jam." She tugged on Mitchie's arm. "Come on, let's sneak through the kitchen and get good seats."

Mitchie opened up the screen door that led to the kitchen cautiously.

"No campers allowed in this way!" Connie yelled without looking up from the potatoes she was slicing.

"Harsh," Mitchie said, pulling Caitlyn all the way inside.

"Oh, Mitchie! I didn't know it was you." She came over to greet the pair. "Hi, Caitlyn."

"Hi, Mrs. Torres. Think we can sneak in this way?"

"I don't see why not – just take a bowl of chips out with you."

Mitchie smiled at her mom happily. "Are you going to be watching tonight?"

"As much as they let me," Connie answered. "Are you performing tonight? Is that why you've been so secretive and sneaking off this week?"

"_Maybe_."

"Ooh, sweetheart!" Connie pulled her daughter into a tight hug before pulling back and holding her at arms length. "Barring a major kitchen catastrophe, I will be front row center."

"Well, I'm last mom, so you've got a while." Mitchie grabbed two bowls of chips, giving one to Caitlyn. "See you later!"

They walked through the swinging doors that led to the mess hall and quickly put the two bowls of chips on the first table they saw. The doors hadn't been officially opened yet so there were only a few kids milling around, obviously the ones that had to go on first. Shane, Nate and Jason were also up by the makeshift stage, sitting next to each other and talking quietly.

Caitln gave a loud wolf whistle as they approached the guys, making them all look up and notice them.

"Doors don't open until 5," Nate chided them.

"We've got an in with the chef," Mitchie reminded them with a laugh. "So, can we know the song now?"

"You'll know it when you hear it," Shane answered cryptically.

"Ugh! Hate you. Where can I put this?" Mitchie waved her guitar a little bit. Shane grabbed it from her before she could protest and leaned it up against the wall behind the stage.

"And this?" Caitlyn held out her laptop bag innocently. Nate rolled his eyes but took it from her and placed it next to Mitchie's guitar.

"Are you guys ready to rock?" Jason asked enthusiastically.

"I don't know, are you?" Mitchie and Jason high-fived each other, until Mitchie noticed something behind him. "Ooh, Jason! You're using it!"

"Yep!" Jason reached behind him and grabbed his favorite guitar, bird decals and all. "Shane finally said yes, can you believe it? He's actually being nice!"

Mitchie shot Shane a smirk, but he just widened his eyes innocently. "Yeah, imagine that…"

A noise behind them told them that the doors had just been opened as kids poured in.

"Showtime," Shane said quietly before pointing accusingly at the girls. "Front row, you two. No shenanigans. Need to keep you where we can see you."

"Yes, mother," Caitlyn rolled her eyes but pulled Mitchie to a nearby table; they were quickly joined by Lola, Barron, Sander and Andy.

"Everyone's staring at me," Mitchie muttered to Caitlyn under her breath. Cait took a look around and sure enough, everyone's eyes were drawn to Mitchie. They wouldn't be blatantly staring, but they all seemed to register every move she made. She spied Kylie and her new best friend, Shelley, in the back of the room with a few other guys and girls. Tess was in a different corner of the room with Peggy and Ella, smirking to herself. To her credit, Peggy looked like she would rather be anywhere else.

"Hey, we know where they are, right? I'd be more worried if I couldn't see them, you know?" Caitlyn tried to cheer Mitchie up, although from the worried look on her face, it wasn't working.

"'Ello poppets!" A booming voice quickly silenced all conversations as everyone turned to the stage. Surprisingly though, the owner of the voice was _not_ Brown. It was Jason.

The boys had shed their long coats and were not all sporting black pants, white button ups with blunt black skinny ties. Shane still had his newsboy cap on and he straightened it with a wink at Mitchie. They had their guitars up higher than they usually would and looked every bit like the Beatles they were trying to imitate, save for the hair. And the fact that there was only three of them.

"I'm George Harrison," Jason introduced himself, although his accent was leaning a bit more towards Australian than English. "That's John Lennon," Nate gave a little wave, "and that here is Paul McCartney." Shane flipped off his hat and gave a little bow. Mitchie was pretty sure she _heard_ the entire female population swoon.

"We have a special guest for you tonight," Nate spoke up, sans accent. Jason gave a little cough and glared at him pointedly. "I mean," Nate gave a cough before adopting his fake British accent. "We have a special guest for you tonight! For one night only, we have Ringo Starr!"

Suddenly, a figure ran out from the kitchen, spurring the mess hall into applause. He gave peace signs as he made his way to the stage, blowing some of his obviously fake hair out of his face. It took a few moments for people to recognize him.

Caitlyn shook her head in disbelief. "Is that-"

"_Brown_?" After getting over the initial disbelief that it was in fact him on stage, Mitchie could now definitely see that their camp director was playing the role of Ringo Starr.

"Welcome to Beatles Jam!" The only person that didn't have to fake his accent spoke up. "Tonight we have some very amazing performances ready to take the stage, all of course, having to do with…well, us!" He gestured to him and Connect 3 in their "disguises."

"Now you can sit down," Shane spoke up with his own horrendous accent. "But I guarantee you that you won't stay that way for long. Ready guys?"

Brown quickly ran behind his drum set and raised the sticks in the air, counting them off. "One, two, one, two, three, four!"

Suddenly, a strong bass line and guitar riffs filled the mess hall, with Shane taking the mic almost instantly.

"_I've just seen a face,_

_I can't forget the time or place_

_Where we just met_

_She's just the girl for me _

_And I want all the world to see_

_We've met, mmmm mmmm mmmm_

_Had it been another day,_

_I might have looked the other way_

_And I'd have never been aware_

_But as it is I'll dream of her _

_Tonight, dy dy dy da da dy_

_Falling, yes I am falling,_

_And she keeps calling_

_Me back again_

_I have never know_

_The like of this, I've been alone_

_And I have missed things_

_And kept out of sight_

_But other girls were never quite_

_Like this, mmmm mmmm mmmm_

_Falling, yes I am falling,_

_And she keeps calling_

_Me back again"_

They fell into an intense guitar solo provided by Jason and Nate and Caitlyn took this time to stand up and offer her hand to Mitchie, who took it hesitantly. Caitlyn started spinning her and the two danced to the music as if the entire mess hall _wasn't_ staring at them. It only took a few more minutes for Lola, Barron and Sander to stand up and join in (Andy opted to sit it out) and soon enough, the majority of the campers were dancing.

Mitchie let her eyes drift to the boys who looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. She met Shane's eyes and was pleasantly surprised to find that he was staring back at her, smiling hopelessly, watching her have a great time with her friends. He didn't really get to see her let loose like this, as she was always having to watch her back from vicious campers.

He didn't try to look away as he launched into the next verse, maintaining eye contact with her the entire time.

"_Falling, yes I am falling_

_And she keeps calling_

_Me back again_

_I've just seen a face_

_I can't forget the time or place_

_Where we just met_

_She's just the girl for me_

_And I want all the world to see_

_We've met, mmmm mmmm da da da_

_Falling, yes I am falling_

_And she keeps calling_

_Me back again_

_Falling, yes I am falling_

_And she keeps calling_

_Me back again."_

Applause roared through the entire building. Shane's naturally husky voice had done the song justice – and more. Mitchie clapped and hollered with Caitlyn but still held her eye contact with Shane. She wasn't really sure what it meant – was he saying what she _thought_ he was? Could Shane Gray really fall for Mitchie Torres, the social leper? It seemed extremely unlikely, although after that song…not implausible.

Finally, he broke the eye contact to clasp hands with his bandmates and take a bow. Caitlyn turned to Mitchie and squealed.

"Did you see him?" Caitlyn practically yelled in her ear, as the applause was still continuing. Mitchie just nodded. Of course she did, he was all she looked at. "…and I can't believe he _winked_ at me!" _Wait, what?_

"Huh? Who did?" Mitchie was positive that Shane hadn't looked from her eyes, but maybe…

"Nate, of course!" Mitchie's mouth formed a perfect 'o.' "I _knew_ you didn't see him! You were too busy staring at loverboy to even notice."

Mitchie opened her mouth to argue but she couldn't. She _had_ been staring at Shane pretty intently, and she definitely missed any flirting that happened between Nate and Caitlyn.

"Thank you guys so much!" Nate gave a final wave before following Shane and Jason off the stage, leaving only Brown up there, still clad in his wig and Beatles get up.

"Now that my nephew and his band have officially started this night off rockin', we'll have a few minutes for the next act to set up – we have 'The It Girls' up next!"

The boys finished putting their guitars away and Mitchie found herself actually surprised when a man came and actually grabbed their instruments for them, giving the boys a curt nod.

"Who was that?" Mitchie asked as Shane and the others approached.

"Oh, that's Marty. He's part of the security detail," Nate explained.

"Security detail?" It seemed as though this was the first that Caitlyn had heard of this, too.

"Yeah, you didn't think the label would really send their top-selling band out to the middle of nowhere with no security, did you?" Caitlyn and Mitchie shrugged; they honestly hadn't thought about it.

"I've never seen them, though," Mitchie pondered.

"They're not _bodyguards_, Mitch," Shane pointed out. Mitchie tried to quell the blush that came from the nickname he had used unknowingly. She had never let anyone call her that before, stemming from some brutal elementary school teasing. Somehow, she didn't seem to get mad at Shane for using it. "They're just here in case we need anything. You know, to help out in case fan girls attack."

"I didn't see anyone helping you when you were running from a pack of teeny boppers," she teased.

"Trust me, we had words about that," Shane muttered darkly.

"You guys were great," Mitchie complimented them, elbowing Shane lightly. "Jason, I thought your accent was _fabulous_."

"Really? Me too! I just let it come naturally. Unlike _some_ people." He nudged Nate hard with his shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly. He steadied himself with a hand on Caitlyn's waist, and Mitchie raised her eyebrows at the way he made no rush to move it.

"Sorry, Jason. I guess it just doesn't come as naturally to me."

A group of girls then came up to the guys, all of them clutching magazines with the boys gracing the covers.

"We'll go get drinks for us," Mitchie said, giving her and Caitlyn their leave so that the guys could sign some autographs.

The girls just grinned at each other as they went to go get drinks, words having no use to them at that point. Mitchie rolled her eyes at the line waiting to get drinks from the musical soda and juice fountain; instead she hoisted herself up over that counter, landing smoothly on the other side. There was a small gap behind the fountain, only room enough for one person to really change the syrups out for the soda and replenish the stocks, but there was also a small mini-fridge. Mitchie opened it swiftly and grabbed 5 bottles of water for her and the guys. She was just about to hop back over when Tess's voice came over the speaker system.

"Um, Brown, I just want to be clear on something. Is it true that only one person can do a certain song? You didn't want repeats this year, right?" Tess found Mitchie in the room and locked eyes with her as Brown agreed with her. "Perfect."

She nodded to someone and the backing track started to play. It was over-synthesized and much too poppy for anyone to ever associate it with a Beatles song, but as Mitchie heard the opening chords, she knew. She knew what Tess was going to perform.

"How did she find out?" Caitlyn wondered aloud.

"She could've heard me practicing today. She's been lurking by the staff cabins enough as it is," Mitchie gritted out before hopping over the counter again. She closed her eyes and tried not to scream. This was _not_ going to be the way Tess won the bet. She forced the tears of frustration back and swallowed thickly before holding her head up high. She thrusted a few water bottles into Caitlyn's arms and walked back up to the front where she had been previously sitting and sat down stiffly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Shane asked as he sat down next to her. She couldn't find it in her to respond so she just closed her eyes and shook her head.

"This is her song," Caitlyn explained to the guys. "Tess must've somehow found out that Mitchie was going to perform it and made sure that she did it first."

The guys let out a collective gasp.

"That's so mean!" Jason was outraged. "And not to be mean myself, but she's not even doing that great of a job with it."

_That's putting it lightly_, Mitchie thought bitterly. She actually had to try and tune out Tess's voice, as it was too high and too nasal and the beat was too fast and had she even listened to the lyrics before she sang the song? It was about being free, about letting someone go. It was _not_ about hip shimmies and backup singers and sparkly dresses. Mitchie let out a frustrated breath before opening her eyes again.

"I have to play something else."

"You don't have to play something you're not comfortable with," Shane tried to reason.

"No, I do." Her eyes met Caitlyn's. "I can't let her win. I need to play something else."

"Win? This isn't the competition." Nate sounded slightly confused.

"At least not one I can ever win," Mitchie muttered.

"She's right," Caitlyn asserted. "You need to play something else, Mitchie. But I don't know what other songs the campers are doing to avoid having you play the same one. It sucks that you're going last."

"I'd just be screwing someone else over if I played the song they planned on doing. It's probably for the best that I'm last."

"You're something else, you know that?" Shane asked her quietly, staring at her with a peculiar look in his eyes.

"That's what everyone keeps saying, but I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not."

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*** Again, a cover from Across The Universe (by Jim Sturgess) is available on my twittaaa for the song "I've Just Seen A Face" - so good!**


	13. Hello Goodbye

**Author's Note: Ooooooh a really short chapter, but don't worry I'll update soon. Sort of cliffhangerish? Idk, but get ready for some drama-rama!**

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The rest of the Jam passed by a little too quickly for Mitchie's liking, but Beatles songs were generally short and it took very little time for most of the acts to set up. Mitchie and the guys were creating a mental list of the songs that people had performed and the songs that Mitchie knew, trying to foresee which one she would end up performing. Besides the comedic interlude of watching Kylie Stiles perform 'Yesterday,' and try to make herself seem like a serious artist, the show had a sort of worried undertone to it.

"Alright, I'm up next, and then there's two acts after me, then it's you, babe," Caitlyn told Mitchie. "What's it looking like?"

"Besides a mess?" Mitchie rubbed her eyes tiredly. It was barely 6:30 and yet she found herself exhausted, both mentally and physically from the stress. "It'll end up being either 'If I Fell' or 'Hello Goodbye.' Those are the only two that I know and that will sound relatively okay with just a guitar."

Caitlyn pulled a guilty face. "If I only had a little more time, I could put something together for you that would sound amazing…"

"Don't worry about it, Cait, really. You've done enough as it is."

"Well, here's hoping that's all that was up their sleeve for tonight." Caitlyn cast a wary look at Tess, who was flirting heavily with any guy that breathed and to a smug looking Kylie Stiles. It was the latter that made her nervous.

"Go do your thing," Mitchie encouraged and gave her a slight shove in the direction of the stage. Caitlyn glared at her over her shoulder but proceeded to get set up while the girls before her finished up their a capella rendition of 'Dear Prudence.'

"You nervous?" Shane asked as he slid in next to her on the bench she occupied. He had been doing some mingling at the insistence of his uncle, but he had promised to be back for Caitlyn's performance.

"I'll be glad when this is over, that's for sure. I have two songs that I can choose from, I don't know what I'll do if the two acts following Caitlyn do them."

"Well, unless you were planning on a stunning rendition of 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,' I think you're all set." A smile spread across Mitchie's face as Shane nodded to one of the two acts that were still waiting. "I heard them talking about it. So you'll be fine, I promise."

"Let's hope."

Before Shane could reassure her further, Brown came up and introduced Caitlyn. Mitchie gave a big whoop for her and clapped as loud as she could. Cait finished hooking up all the necessary cables and with a big wink to Mitchie, she hit 'play.' Music and beats flowed effortlessly out of the speakers and Caitlyn started to really get into it, dancing along, pressing buttons to enhance the performance.

"You know, you looked like you were having a lot of fun when we were performing," Shane said into Mitchie's ear as she bopped along to Caitlyn's beats and her voice.

"Yeah, you guys were great," Mitchie practically yelled, although she didn't take her eyes away from Cait's performance. The next thing she knew, Shane Gray was standing in front of her, holding out his hand.

"What are you doing?" She looked around the room. "No one else is dancing!"

"Not _yet_," he amended, looking at his outstretched hand pointedly. "If you don't take it, someone else will, Torres."

She rolled her eyes, but still found herself taking his hand gently. He pulled her up and whispered in her ear.

"Do the routine we've been working on in class," he suggested.

"With _you_?" It was a somewhat sensual dance, and up until now, Shane had always recommended doing it by yourself, to get comfortable with the moves before adding in a partner. Mitchie now knew that she was nowhere near comfortable when she was within five feet of Shane Gray.

He didn't even give her a response as he just launched into the dance with her, taking it deliberately slower than it should've been, just because he knew that she was still getting used to the idea of dancing with him.

After a few moments of dancing with him, Mitchie began to feel her worries float away. She was laughing as Shane spontaneously dipped her back, chuckling himself, and she found herself following the dance fairly easily, considering her lack of comfort zone. As he dipped her dangerously low again, her long hair just barely sweeping the floor, Mitchie noticed that they weren't the only ones dancing now. There seemed to be a lot of kids up, and most of them were doing Shane's dance routine. She also noticed the death glare that Kylie Stiles and her friends were giving her, all of them leaning against the wall, arms crossed, scowl firmly in place.

He pulled her back up and held her steady.

"I feel like we're in a musical," Mitchie mused into his ear, as that was the only way he could hear her. Shane laughed and took a look around at all the choreographed dancing.

"We sort of are!" He watched her laugh for a beat before leaning back towards her ear. "This is you singing?" She nodded. "You sound great!"

"It's a lot of editing," Mitchie stammered. "Caitlyn did her magic, I probably don't even really sound like this."

"I guess I'll be finding out soon, won't I?"

"I guess so…"

* * *

Mitchie couldn't even tell you what the next two acts were about. She just sat there, chewing her lip nervously, going over the lyrics to 'Hello Goodbye' for the seven hundredth time. And then it was time.

There were a few things that Mitchie noticed at first once she got up on stage.

First, she saw Shelley get into some sort of argument with Brown, and watched him lead her outside to continue their disagreement. Next, she saw a somewhat irate camper, talking to her mom. Connie shot her an apologetic look as she led the camper into the kitchen.

It still didn't add up to anything _too_ bad for Mitchie. She grabbed her guitar and sat down slowly on the stool. She tried to quell the shaking that she felt in her bones. Her stomach was protesting and her palms were sweaty and Mitchie had never been so glad to not have worn makeup before in her _life_. But still, she knew she could do this. She could play her little heart out, and prove to the entire camp that she belonged there. She needed to prove this to them, and more so, to herself.

She took in the encouraging smiles of Caitlyn, Nate and Jason, and let her own smile flit across her face as she saw the radiant grin that took up most of Shane Gray's face.

"_You can do this_," he mouthed to her. "_Knock 'em dead_."

She let out a shaky breath and nodded to herself. She could do this. She _would_.

She adjusted the mic and played one chord, and it started to happen. She continued playing, albeit very weakly, as she watched her nightmare come true.

Groups of people got up to leave. Five girls in the back. Ten boys sitting in the center of the room. A boyfriend and girlfriend, holding hands. Tess, Peggy and Ella. Kids from her guitar class. Girls from her vocal class. The young first year campers in her production class. They all just got up and…left.

She watched, horrified. Mortified. Humiliated. She watched as her nightmare came true. They didn't all leave. There was a table in the back that seemed to be playing an intense game of cards. There were a few guys in her guitar class that sat there defiantly. There were her friends, of course, although she couldn't meet their eyes. And then there was her. Kylie Stiles, standing in the middle of the room.

The door closed with an audible snap that Mitchie actually flinched at.

"Guess no one wanted to hear you, Mitchie."

Mitchie shook her head and spoke quietly to the group that had all stood at Kylie's voice.

"Don't."

Caitlyn and Shane's mouths snapped shut, and Barron actually sat back down with a thump. Mitchie slowly put her guitar down and stepped off the small stage, approaching Kylie gradually.

"I get it," Mitchie said once she was only a few feet in front of Kylie. "I get that you don't think I belong here. That you don't think I deserve a place at Camp Rock."

"You don't deserve _anything_ that you've gotten this far in your life," Kylie bit out.

"Maybe." Mitchie's voice was only shaking a little and she was able to remain calm although she had a feeling it wouldn't last. "But I'm here. And I'm not going away. And I don't know what you were trying to accomplish tonight, but it didn't work." Mitchie felt herself get riled up as she reminded herself of the bet, and her voice began to gather strength and grow louder. "You wanted to make me _scream_? You wanted to make me _cry_? Well, you won your fucking bet." An angry tear escaped from her eye and Mitchie brushed it furiously away.

Kylie didn't speak, and her smug smile seemed to waver at the emotion Mitchie was displaying, but she didn't back down.

"What'd you win again?" Mitchie was getting good and worked up. "_Shane_? Well, you fucking won him, too. But newsflash: he's not a possession. But really, congratulations. You're a _terrible_ human being."

Mitchie started to storm away when Kylie tried to speak up.

"Oh, please-"

"_Don't talk to me!" _Mitchie practically screamed as she whirled on her feet to face Kylie once more. She swallowed thickly and lowered her voice. "At least that's something I _know_ I don't deserve."

With that, she ran out of the mess hall, followed by a certain brown haired boy.


	14. If Only You Knew

**Author's Note: If you're wondering why this took a little while to get out, it's because I was hanging out, too delighted that people actually reviewed that chapter (a lot of people!) and liked it. So ok ok ok, here's the next installment, and here you get to see a somewhat resolution to the last drama, but you definitely get to see what's coming next. Why can't Mitchie just have a good day for once?**

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He followed her to the area by the canoes, a scene he recognized. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the lake, bathing her in its yellow reflection. She kicked a canoe angrily before sinking to her knees, truly defeated.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt this bad. Probably the first day of school after breaking up with Joey, she surmised. That had been the last time that she had broke down completely. She hadn't even made it through the whole day; she went to the nurse's office after third period and went home. She remembered the whispers, the stares, the fact that she was tripped in the hallway _three times_ in five minutes and nobody, not once, had helped her up. She remembered the pain she had felt at that. It was _nothing_ compared to what she was feeling at that moment, right now.

School was school – Mitchie just had to remind herself that eventually she would leave that entire place and everyone in it, never having to see them again. But this…this was Camp Rock. This was what she wanted her entire future to be about. And all she kept seeing in her mind were the backs of campers as they walked away from her. And Kylie's voice. Kylie's stupid fucking voice, repeating over and over and over again: "Guess no one wanted to hear you, Mitchie."

A frustrated scream escaped Mitchie as she banged her hands on the pebbles surrounding her. She felt like a two year old throwing a tantrum, but she couldn't find any other way of releasing her emotions. She had no one to talk to, no one to complain to, no one to commiserate with. If she admitted it, all she really wanted to do was cry. She wanted to go back to her cabin and sink into her bed and cry until she couldn't cry anymore. But she didn't want her mom asking questions, unfortunately. She wondered briefly if Connie had heard anything that had happened in the mess hall.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry," she repeated aloud to herself and she leaned back against a nearby canoe, squinching her eyes shut. She wanted to be strong for a little while longer, until she could at least gather her thoughts.

"It's okay to cry, Mitchie," his soft voice barely above a whisper.

"Jason?" Her eyes opened wide as she found him standing above her.

"Do you mind if I sit?" He gestured to the space next to her. She shook her head. She had never seen this side of Jason; he seemed serious and even…melancholic. "I'm really sort about what happened to you tonight. You didn't deserve that…I can't believe she did it."

"_I_ can. I should've seen something like that coming from a mile away. I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid," he gently chided. "All those people in there were stupid for listening to that girl."

"'That girl' is Kylie Stiles, Jason. Daughter of Sookie Stiles. I don't blame them for listening to her."

"Well I do!" Jason actually looked really angry at this. "Everyone makes choices, Mitchie. Those people chose to listen to her. They didn't have to, but they did."

They sat in silence for a while, backs against the canoes with the lake to their right, forest in front of them. Mitchie was oddly grateful to have someone just … there.

"You know, I was made fun of when I came here, too." Mitchie raised her eyebrows. She didn't know that. "I may not be able to sing very well, and I may not understand all that production-y stuff, but I can play guitar. I was still learning back then, but I was still pretty far ahead of all the other campers. The guitar teacher took me on in solo lessons in order to have a more hands on kind of learning experience." He shook his head in remembrance. "The older kids didn't like me because I was so much better than them. I was that weird kid that had curly hair and sat on the dock with binoculars, watching the birds. They didn't think it was fair that I was better than them."

"That's horrible," Mitchie murmured.

"It was pretty terrible, for a while at least. They would do a lot of the stuff kids are doing to you. They'd mess with my guitar, or move it around on me so I wouldn't find it. They even dumped orange juice on me at breakfast one time." He smiled at the memory, which Mitchie found disconcerting.

"Then why did you want to come back here? Why did you sound so happy and grateful that you got to be here again?" She alluded to the conversation they had had while building the birdhouse.

"The same day the kids dumped orange juice on me was the same day I met Nate and Shane. I thought Nate was going to _punch_ somebody. Shane was the one who actually stood up to them. He was so young compared to them, too, but he did hold a little bit of power since he's Brown's nephew. But he stood up to them and put them in their place. He didn't even know me. We became best friends after that and have been Connect 3 since."

"And you still love this place, even though you have all those memories? Even though kids were so mean to you?"

Jason shrugged.

"I like to think that maybe we wouldn't have ever become Connect 3 if those jerks hadn't done what they did. So, instead, I thank them."

"So do we." Mitchie jerked around, only to see Shane and Nate standing behind them. She hadn't even heard them approach; her and Jason lost in their own world.

* * *

Shane, Nate, Caitlyn and the others watched as Mitchie took off through the doors, Jason following her after pausing for barely a second. Shane had to rein in his own urge to follow Mitchie. As much as he wanted to, he also wanted to say some words to this _Kylie_.

Kylie shrugged as she saw Mitchie scamper away. She had hoped for a little more volatile confrontation, she had a lot more she wanted to say to that pathetic excuse for a camper, but she figured that it could've gone worse.

_Man, the look on her face when everyone stood up to leave,_ Kylie remembered gleefully. It would be more than enough to get her through whatever pseudo-punishment Brown had for her, if she got anything. After all, it wasn't _really_ her fault that Mitchie sucked so bad and no one wanted to have their ears bleed by listening to her. Of course, she hadn't actually heard Mitchie sing outside of vocal lessons, but she could only imagine. As far as she was concerned, she did everyone a favor by telling them to leave.

"You are a stupid, petty girl." Shane Gray's voice broke through her reverie, although it wasn't his normal, light-hearted voice, or even his somewhat stern voice that he used during dance class. No, his voice was barely contained fury with cold, dark eyes behind it. Kylie looked at him with raised eyebrows, not believing his seriousness.

"Oh, please. She'll get over it." A smirk spread across her face. "Speaking of getting over things, don't you think it's time _you_ got over whatever this little stage is of yours where you take pity on the biggest losers in the camp?"

Shane gritted his teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists successively. He just had to remind himself repeatedly that he _doesn't hit girls._ Although this Kylie chick was really pressing her luck. And Nate and Caitlyn's too, from the looks on their faces.

"You're right," Shane said, surprising the two people standing next to him. "I'm gonna start a new stage in my life. It's a stage I should've started a long time ago, but it sort of took me a while to realize it. It's the stage where I stand up for others when people are being jerks to them. For a long time, that jerk was me, but someone has already put me in my place. Clearly no one has done that for you." Shane took a step closer to Kylie, who still looked as if she didn't understand what was going on.

"In the real world, no one cares who you are. No one cares who your mom is, and no one cares how much money you have. That girl that you just tried to make cry-"

"I _did_ make her cry," Kylie interrupted smugly.

"That girl that you _did_ just make cry, for no reason other than to make yourself feel like you have power? That girl has more talent then you could ever hope for. I've only known her for a week and I already know that she is so much more than you could ever try to be. And you wanted to win _me_ from that stupid bet? She was right – I'm not a possession. And all you've won from me is my _disgust_."

Before Shane could say any more, the door opened and in walked Brown.

"Five seconds to start explaining what just happened." Shane didn't think he had ever seen this side of Brown. There was no trace of a smile on his face; he looked murderous.

"Kylie will tell you all about it," Shane said, staring into Kylie's face, daring her to refuse. He finally looked away, sending an apologetic glance to Brown. "I've got to go."

He ran past Brown, intent on finding Mitchie. Nate ran a hand over his face before making to follow him.

"Make sure she tells him exactly what happened," he called back to Cait.

"Happily," Caitlyn said darkly, watching the two leave the mess hall.

"Someone start talking. Now."

* * *

Jason and Mitchie stood to greet the other two members of Connect 3, and Nate reached out and gave her a tentative hug first.

"They're all pathetic, you know that, right?" He said into her ear. "You are so much more than them." He pulled back and smiled at her. "I heard your raw songs that Caitlyn had, before she mixed them. You're amazing, Mitchie. It was their loss tonight."

Mitchie gave him a weak smile at that, and she hoped that in the coming days that's how she saw the situation, too, but to be honest, at that moment those thoughts were the farthest from her mind.

Jason wrapped his arms around her next and let her go rather quickly as he saw a shadow pass over Shane's face.

"As long as you have us, it'll be okay," he said simply.

With a small nod from Shane, Jason and Nate took their leave, clapping Shane on the shoulder as he stood back and watched them go before turning his attention back on Mitchie.

"Brown's in there with her now," Shane started off, somewhat awkwardly.

"Oh," Mitchie murmured before turning away, looking off at the lake.

"Mitchie…?"

"Sorry," she mumbled, sniffing. "I'm just a little upset. You should get back there though."

Shane quickly realized she wasn't brushing him off, but trying to hide the fact that she was crying.

"Mitchie," Shane took a step towards her. "You have _every_ right to be a 'little' upset. In fact, you should probably be a lot more upset. If I had known that she would do this to get to me, I swear, I wouldn't have pushed for you to perform so badly."

"It's not your fault." Mitchie still wouldn't turn to face him. "I go to high school with Kylie, Shane. She hated me long before we even got here. It just seems that with a lot less teachers around, she's a lot more cruel."

Mitchie sunk to the ground, frustrated and conflicted. Shane crouched down next to her.

"I don't even know if it'd be better for me to stay or go at this point."

It took Shane a moment to understand what she was talking about, but then –

"You can't leave!"

"Shane," Mitchie finally turned to him. Her eyes were glistening and there was the unmistaken shine of tear tracks down her cheeks. Shane thought he had never seen anything as beautiful, or as tragic. "She's not going to stop. She wants to ruin this entire summer for me, and she's doing a pretty good job at it so far."

"Jason was right, Mitchie. As long as you have us, it'll be okay." He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, a tender gesture that reminded her of him apologizing to her outside of the kitchen. _If only camp was just filled with these memories_, she thought wistfully.

"It's okay to cry," he unknowingly echoed Jason. Mitchie shook her head.

"It's a sign of weakness," she said softly.

"Weakness? What are we, in the military?" An almost-smile crossed her face.

"The bet." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Tess and Kylie made a bet as to who could make me cry first. I don't know why," her voice cracked and she had to swallow thickly before continuing. "I don't know why they hate me so much, but they do. And having all those people walk out…it was like my nightmare coming true, Shane. I was so scared that people weren't going to like what I sang, that I never even thought about how much it would hurt if they didn't even give it a chance."

That was all it took for Shane to gently pick her up and place her in his lap, as the tears overcame her. She buried her head in his neck and sobbed freely as he whispered soothing words into her ear, rocking slowly. When the sobs slowly subsided into the occasional hiccup, Shane spoke.

"They're pathetic people, Mitchie. They don't mean anything though, and they never will. If they don't want to listen to you, that's their loss. You have an amazing voice and you are going to blow everyone away at the next Jam."

Mitchie chose to ignore the part where Shane assumed that she would actually be performing at the next Jam.

"I'm a nobody, Shane. No one wants to hear me."

"Everyone's a nobody here. I was a nobody when I first came here, too. But at Camp Rock, it's where people become somebodies. This is your chance, girl. Don't let them take it away from you."

Mitchie wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to center herself.

"Who knew that Shane Gray was filled with insight?" She joked weakly.

"_I_ didn't, that's for sure. What are you doing to me, Mitchie Torres?"

"The world may never know."

They sat there for a while, watching the sun become completely buried by the horizon, as the moon and stars started to sparkle. Words weren't needed as they mulled over their own thoughts.

"I didn't know you go to high school with Kylie," Shane spoke suddenly. Mitchie just nodded, too tired to speak. "So, you must've seen us at that end of the year thing you guys had, right?" Mitchie knew where this was going. "And you must've seen that poor girl get soda poured all over her."

"About that, Shane-" Mitchie tried to tell him, but he spoke too quickly, lost in his memory of that night.

"Man, I have _never_ felt so bad as I did for that girl. I pity her, I really do."

Mitchie couldn't bring herself to say anymore about that night. She listened as Shane continued, rehashing that night and how the girl looked so _innocent_ and so _undeserving_. She had never really seen what it must have looked like to a third party. The humiliation she had felt earlier that night was _nothing_ compared to what she was feeling right then. All he could talk about was how much he pitied her!

"…I mean, you were there, right?" She tuned in at the last moment.

"Y-yeah. I saw," she said quietly.

"You know, I talked to her that night. I got lost in your big school and found her in the auditorium, playing the piano. I still get the song she was playing stuck in my head sometimes, isn't that funny?"

"Yeah. Funny." She wanted to tell him everything, to confess, but the last thing she wanted was more pity. She had no idea what he'd do once he found out – would he shun her, remembering that night? Or worse, would he continue to be her friend our of a weird charity obligation, feeling _so bad for her_ that he just had to stay friends with her?

"She seemed pretty nice," Shane mused. "But I don't know…she seemed…lost."

"Lost?" _Well, that's one way to put it_.

"Yeah, I mean – you should've heard the song she was singing." _I have_, she thought bitterly. "It was sad. But she was nice, and she didn't freak out that I was Shane Gray." He gave her a side eye. "Guess you're not the only one who is immune to my charm."

_If only you knew_.


	15. A Whole New World

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone for all the super nice reviews! This is sort of a long, fluffy chapter. I just felt like a lot of drama just happened so Mitchie needed a break. But don't worry – things aren't in the clear all yet. Lots of stuff is coming up. Shane's going to have to figure out who Mitchie is sooner or later, right? Enjoy, and I'll update again on Sunday night!**

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Eventually, they knew they had to move. People would be looking for them (okay, him, not her) and they had been sitting for over two hours. And Mitchie was starving.

"Where have you been?" Connie asked the instant Mitchie and Shane slipped into the kitchen from the backdoor.

"Uh…"

"I'm so sorry I missed your performance, too, sweetie. I didn't even hear it, but there was an issue with the chips and a camper was very upset and…why are you looking at me like that?"

"So you didn't see _any_ of the performance?" Mitchie wanted to be sure her mom had no idea what had truly happened. She didn't know how she'd explain that to her.

"Well, Mitchie didn't end up performing anyway," Shane spoke up. Mitchie whipped around and glared at him. She mouthed at him to shut up before turning back to her mom.

"You didn't?"

"I got sick!" She could practically feel Shane's disapproving gaze on the back of her head. "I must've been so nervous that I just…you know. In fact, I'm still not feeling that great right now."

"Oh, you poor thing," Connie bustled over and pressed a hand to her forehead. "Well, you're still a little warm, so maybe you're coming down with something. Let me make you some toast, and I bet I have a can of chicken soup around here somewhere…you just stay right there, and _don't touch anything_."

Her mom started rifling through cabinets and drawers and Shane stepped behind Mitchie.

"Sick?" He whispered in her ear. She turned around and found herself chest-to-chest with him.

"Did you have a better idea?" She hissed back.

"The truth?" Mitchie's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"You want me to tell my mom that everyone here hates me because of _her_ job? She'd feel so guilty; I can't do that."

"Okay, here you go, honey." Connie came back over holding a plate of toast and a thermos of condensed chicken noodle coup. "Not gourmet, but…"

"It's great mom, thank you."

"Do you mind if I grab a slice?" Shane indicated to the leftover pizza from tonight's dinner that was still on the counter. Connie shook her head and plated up a few pieces for him.

"You go back to the cabin and go to bed, you hear me?" Connie firmly instructed Mitchie. "No helping out tomorrow, either – I don't want you contaminating my kitchen, just in case, ok? You just go rest and feel better."

"Ok, mom."

"I'll walk her back to her cabin, Mrs. Torres."

"Thank you, that'd be great – I'm going to be here cleaning up for another hour at least. It's… Shane, isn't it?"

Mitchie rolled her eyes. Her mom knew exactly who Shane Gray was.

"Yes ma'am," Shane nodded and held out his hand to shake hers.

"You're much more polite in person than you are in the media, Shane," Connie said as she shook his hand.

"That's not very hard to be," Shane joked. "But I try to be, ma'am."

"Oh, enough with the 'ma'am,'" she insisted. "Call me Connie, Shane."

The finally said their goodbyes and Shane led a not-so-sick Mitchie to her cabin, only stopping to knock on Connect 3's cabin and tell them where they were going to be. Not ten minutes later was Mitchie Torres' cabin filled with not only Connect 3, but an irate Caitlyn Gellar as well.

"I swear, I tried, I really did, but it was my word against hers," Caitlyn apologized for the tenth time.

"There's nothing you could've done," Mitchie assured her, playing with her dry toast.

Apparently, once Shane and Nate booked it after Mitchie and Caitlyn was left with Kylie Stiles and Brown, shit hit the fan. Basically, Kylie managed to pin the entire idea on to Shelley, who was either too dumb or too scared to _not_ take the fall for Kylie Stiles. She was currently on cabin lockdown, pending punishment, as Brown found himself too upset to deal with her tonight. Kylie apparently also tried to play it off as if she was the _nice_ one, being one of the few who didn't leave, but Caitlyn nipped that in the bud. Using colorful language and imagery is a Caitlyn Gellar specialty, evidently.

But still, Kylie just managed to get a verbal warning about respecting campers and no other penalty. Mitchie hoped that was going to be the extent of it. She wasn't sure if she was up to a huge intervention courtesy of the camp's director. Tonight was the worst night of her life, she was almost positive. She didn't need to add anything to it by having Brown call her out on being a social misfit in front of the entire camp.

Mitchie listened to them talk for a while. It was nice to just not have to focus on her life for a few minutes. However, she did find herself thinking about her life, and she slipped her songbook out of her bag and into her lap. She almost didn't want to write the lyrics that were flowing through her head. That would mean that they would be there forever. And if she were to sing them, that would put them out into the universe – forever. And Mitchie wasn't sure if she wanted to remember tonight forever, but she figured it was going to happen anyway. With a sigh, she opened the notebook and started jotting down what she was feeling.

"That's a little dismal, don't you think?" Caitlyn was reading her first verse over her shoulder. Mitchie just shrugged. Dismal, maybe, but after the night she had – could you blame her? "I don't think you want to write this." Caitlyn actually took the notebook and pencil from her and hopped away.

"I don't?" Mitchie was confused.

"Nope, you really don't. Because I know you – you'll be frustrated every time you read these words. You'll be sad and mad and angry. I don't think that's the song that you want to come out of tonight."

"It's not?"

Caitlyn shook her head. "Is it?"

"No?"

Mitchie had no idea what she was not agreeing with at this point.

"Excellent. Glad we discussed this."

"I don't even know what we discussed!"

"Do you?"

"_What_?"

"I am."

"You are?"

"_You_ are."

At this point, the two girls stared at each other and started to crack up. The conversation had long since lost its meaning and Caitlyn smiled successfully at getting Mitchie to laugh.

The guys laughed along with them, all a little grateful to Caitlyn for easing everything up. Shane's phone buzzed and as he smiled at the picture of Mitchie that was his wallpaper, he noticed the time.

"Whoa, we should probably get going."

"Hm? What time is it?" Caitlyn was now currently rifling through Mitchie's closet, holding up occasional shirts. "This is cute, Mitchie!"

"Almost ten thirty. But Mitchie's mom will be back soon, and since Mitchie told her she was sick, we probably shouldn't be in here."

"Sorry, guys," Mitchie frowned at them. As much as she wanted to be alone right now, she was also going to be sad to see them leave. Her thoughts weren't very good company.

Caitlyn launched at her and gave her a huge hug and kiss on the cheek, followed by Nate, and then Jason, who also gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Shane's eyes narrowed.

"I'll walk you back to your cabin, Cait," Nate offered. "Bye, Mitchie."

"See you guys later," she called after them, leaving just her and Shane in her cabin, with Mitchie kneeling on her bed in order to match Shane's height.

"Caitlyn's right, you know," Shane mused.

"I wouldn't be able to tell you if she was or not, apparently." They shared a smile.

"About the songwriting, though. I don't think you should give them the satisfaction of writing a mean song about it. I think something beautiful should come from tonight."

"I'm not sure if that's how that works," Mitchie said softly, not meeting his eyes. She sighed, but then shook herself out of it. "You are just filled with words of wisdom tonight, aren't you, Shane Gray?"

"You bring it out in me," he teased back.

"Shh!" She pressed a finger to his lips, unknowing of the effect she was having on him. "Don't let the fangirls hear. I'll be mobbed."

Shane stuck his tongue out and licked her finger.

"Ahh! Gross, Shane!" She wiped it on his shirt. He used this opportunity to capture her in another hug, which she returned gratefully.

"Get some sleep," he whispered in her ear as he placed a lingering kiss on her cheek. "Don't overthink things."

"Goodnight," Mitchie replied noncommittally.

Finally, Shane left, and Mitchie couldn't even find the strength to change into her pajamas or turn off the lights. She simply collapsed back into bed and let the tears come.

* * *

She didn't do anything the next day, a Sunday. She told her mom that she really did feel ill, and for her to please tell anyone who went looking for her that she wasn't up to company. She spent the day in bed, unmoving. And while she had accomplished virtually nothing in the physical sense, she had pretty much finished her song. Unfortunately, she had decided it would be piano-based, and as she didn't have a keyboard in her room, she had yet to hear it for herself. She just had a notion of what she wanted it to sound like. So far, she was happy with the lyrics, although they could use a little tweaking.

Mitchie knew it was sort of cheap to be hiding away from everyone. It was the coward's way out, but really – why would she want to see anyone who just publicly humiliated her the night before? Hell, they definitely proved that they didn't want to see her, so what did it _really_ matter if she didn't show up around camp?

She had just finished eating some more dry toast and soup provided by her mom before she had to go and finish up dinner for the whole camp when a knock sounded from the door.

"Come in," she called out, somewhat hesitantly.

"Hey." Caitlyn stepped into her cabin, smiling sadly. "We missed you today."

Mitchie was a little surprised, to be honest; she had naturally assumed it would be Shane. She didn't know why, either – after all, they were just friends.

"Aren't you supposed to be at dinner?" Mitchie sat up in bed, straightening out the covers. She probably looked a lot less than stellar, as she hadn't showered yet today.

"I had a big lunch. And aren't you supposed to be at dinner, too?"

Mitchie held up a thermos with soup. "Got all I need right here."

Caitlyn came and sat on the end of her bed.

"Are you going to come to classes tomorrow?"

Mitchie sighed and put the thermos down on her nightstand. Apparently there was no getting out of this conversation.

"Not sure."

"Andy's worried that he won't have someone to dance with," Caitlyn joked.

"You mean someone to trip him up?" Mitchie smiled before growing serious. "I don't know what I want to do right now, Cait. Has Brown said or done anything?"

"Not yet. Although I did hear him swearing in his office earlier…I know I said that it usually takes a few weeks but this year seems to be his breaking point." Caitlyn shifted a little bit. "I know you haven't known me for a long time, but you know you can talk to me, right Mitchie? I know this whole thing sucks but you don't have to do it all by yourself, you know?"

Mitchie felt her eyes water at that. She had been without close friends for so long that she forgot what it was like. She made a mental note to be more open with Caitlyn – yeah, she might not have known her for a long time, but she was proving to be a better friend than anyone else she had ever known. There would always be lingering doubt in Mitchie's head that maybe Cait would turn out to be just like those other girls, but she knew that there was no point in not trying.

So she launched into the story of the previous night, telling her everything. She talked about how terrible it felt to watch them all leave and how the boys had comforted her, and even how Jason told his story in order to get her to feel better. She then told her how she had almost told Shane the truth about their meeting in her school, but once she heard about how much he _pitied_ her, she couldn't bring herself to. After two hours of the two laughing and crying together, Mitchie had to admit that she did feel better.

Maybe camp still had the opportunity to turn itself around.

* * *

The next morning, Mitchie sighed as she got ready for camp. She wasn't helping out in the kitchen, per Connie's orders in the suspicion that she might still be sick, but Mitchie almost wished that she could be hiding in the kitchen for the majority of the day.

She left her dark hair down and straight, opting for the simplistic outfit of a black v-neck tshirt, jean shorts and flat black boots. An extra coat of mascara gave her some added courage and she deemed herself ready for the day – or as ready as she could be, anyway.

She ran into the Connect 3 boys as they left their cabin at the same time, and she was happy that they chose not to comment on her previous recluse activity. Jason easily swung his arm over her shoulders as they made their way to the mess hall.

"So, I'm thinking: this week, me, you … _birdhouse_."

"Sounds good! I was thinking that I could have my dad bring some extra stuff on Friends and Family weekend – like shutters for the windows and maybe a little porch?"

"That'd be _amazing!_"

Nate and Shane were walking behind them, watching the interplay. Nate dug his elbow into Shane's side sharply.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Stop glaring at Jason. He's not doing anything wrong."

"I wasn't glaring." Nate raised his eyebrows. "Ok, so I was glaring, but I didn't realize I was doing it."

"That's a whole lot better."

"Do you think he…likes her?"

Nate had to actually think about this. He shrugged.

"He hasn't shown interest in anyone since Maria. I don't really know what he'd do if he liked someone."

"Well, he'd tell us, don't you think?" Shane actually looked a little bit worried.

"You know that _you_ haven't actually told us that you like Mitchie, it's just something we assume?"

"Oh." He _hadn't_ noticed that. Not that he _did_ like her, but… "Can we just catch up?"

* * *

The boys tried to keep Mitchie distracted as they walked into the mess hall. Jason kept his arm around her shoulders and kept rambling on about his birdhouse and the ideas he had for it, with the occasional commentary by Shane and Nate.

Shane easily glared back at anyone who dared to give Mitchie a dirty look. He noticed that Mitchie kept her eyes firmly on the ground, trusting Jason to lead her. This was the first time Shane had really ventured into the kitchen for breakfast, as he usually slept well past it, but he figured he might as well try it out this time, for Mitchie's sake.

They got their trays and slipped into their preferred table by the window.

"She'll be here, Nate," Mitchie said casually as Nate had been surreptitiously checking the door for Cait ever since they had walked in.

"Just don't want her to miss first period," he insisted. A collective eye roll ensued.

Mitchie let the boys do their best to distract her. They kept the conversation flowing, although their civilized conversation had currently disintegrated into a name calling competition between Nate and Jason.

"No, _you_ suck!" Jason slammed his toast down, glaring at Nate. "_Everyone_ knows that sometimes the easier levels of Guitar Hero are harder than they are on expert!"

"You can't even do them on Expert!"

Mitchie laughed aloud, enjoying their interplay. She looked up to the door, waiting for Caitlyn and trying to ignore all the stares.

"She's such a slut," a girl behind her was saying, not even bothering to keep her voice down. "I heard she's totally having sex with the older one, Jason."

"Then why is Shane Gray always asking about her?" An equally obnoxious girl questioned.

"I bet he wants in," a male's voice interjected.

"Ugh, gross." The first girl's voice again. "I'd say she's paying them to hang out with her, but she has no money, so that's out."

"Oops!" Mitchie, who had been looking down at her hands as she listened to people who didn't even know her bash her, looked up at the familiar voice. Caitlyn was standing behind her, glaring at the table of haters.

"You totally hit me with that on purpose!" The first girl shrieked, pointing to Caitlyn's hefty laptop bag.

"I totally did!" Caitlyn adopted her own perky "valley girl" accent. "Keep talking shit about my friend and I'll totally hit you in the face next time! Questions?" No one responded, instead opting to stare at her. "Great!"

Cait slid into the bench next to Mitchie, who smirked at her.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Oh, I know. But it was so much fun!" Caitlyn snagged a piece of toast from Nate, ignoring his protest. "Did I miss anything?"

Before anyone could respond, another figure slid into the bench, sandwiching Mitchie.

"'Ello, love." Brown's usual peppy voice was soft and understanding. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to you this weekend…I went looking for you yesterday, but your mum said you were sick. She seems to believe that's why you didn't perform on Saturday night, too."

A blush heated Mitchie's face, but she nodded. "I'd appreciate it if that's what she kept on thinking, too," she said softly. Brown simply nodded.

"Fair enough. You know, I have half a mind to stick you and Miss Stiles in a room together and let you two resolve your issues."

Mitchie's eyes widened at that and she shook her head frantically.

"No, _please_ no," she begged.

"Luckily, I was told by three enthusiastic young chaps that that would not solve anything." Mitchie sent a grateful look to Connect 3. "Now, as for the girl that seemed to have orchestrated the entire thing," Mitchie rolled her eyes at this, but Brown shrugged, "-hey, she confessed, love. I can't just ignore something like that – she will be out of all of your classes as well as out of any and all future Jams."

"Harsh," Caitlyn commented.

"She's lucky she's still here," Brown pointed out. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go make a very depressing and uncool speech to the entire Camp."

He left the table and Mitchie heaved a sigh, but decided there was nothing else she could do about it.

"So, what are the odds this speech is going to get me _more_ friends?" She asked the table, sarcastically. No one responded, although Caitlyn did look delighted that Mitchie was taking it so lightly.

Brown made his way up to the front of the mess hall, stepping on the small but elevated stage area. He gave a whistle and clapped his hands, garnering himself all the attention.

"Good morning," he began in a tone that was still nowhere near his usual upbeat self. "Hope you all had a nice weekend, a nice first official Jam, as well." He paused, looking around the room, seeing all the faces. He really did hate to be uncool, but in this case, he had to. "Consider yourself lucky that you are even going to be having another Jam."

Jaws dropped.

"Never in the entire Camp Rock history have I ever seen such blatant disrespect from not one, not two, but the _majority of my campers_." All eyes traveled to Mitchie Torres. "Eyes up here!" Brown actually _barked_. "Now, I want that table," he pointed to Lola's table with Barron, Sander and Andy, "that table," he pointed to the group of kids from Mitchie's guitar class, "_that_ table, although you did spend most of the night playing cards," he pointed to kids Mitchie hadn't noticed before, "and finally, _that_ table," he pointed to Mitchie, Caitlyn, Shane, Nate, and Jason's table, "to leave. You are excused."

Mitchie shared a confused look with the guys and Cait, but gathered her things nonetheless. They made their way to the door as Brown continued.

"If you did not attend Saturday night's Jam due to other circumstances, you are also excused to attend your classes today." A few campers got up quickly, practically running over Mitchie and the others, who were admittedly taking their time, trying to see what else Brown would say. "As for the rest of you," Mitchie and Shane were now the last two about to leave the cafeteria, but they stopped and turned at the doors. "The rest of you do not have class today. You didn't want to listen to a camper, and now I assure you, no one wants to listen to you."

* * *

The group walked leisurely down the path to their classes. It was strange seeing so few people on them, but not unwelcome.

"He said they were free to do what they wanted but they were, under no circumstances, to come to class or disrupt classes that were in progress," Shane relayed to the rest of the gang. Mitchie and him had lingered for a few minutes more before Shane and Brown shared a nod from across the room and Shane ushered her out.

Mitchie had wondered for a minute as to why this would be such a bad thing – after all, no classes meant more fun, right? But Shane had been quick to point out the entire purpose of Camp Rock was to go to these classes and learn more. Besides, the kids here loved all of their classes; it would always suck when they had to miss some.

"So," Mitchie turned to Shane as they meandered. "Does this mean we don't have to do any work in dance class today, Mr. Gray?"

"Hmm," he pretended to think about it. "I don't know…you were looking a little rusty on Saturday night."

"_I _was? Don't think I didn't see you almost trip it up at the end. Maybe you should work on it by yourself for a while…"

"Oh, really? You think that's what I need?"

"Just saying, you looked like you could use a little more hip action," Mitchie joked, bumping his hip with hers. That was one of Shane's favorite teaching tools – no matter what was wrong with a dancer, just tell them they needed more hip action.

"So that's how it's gonna be?"

"And so the student became the teacher," Mitchie said sagely, giving a little bow.

"Hmm." Without another word, Shane quickly scooped Mitchie up and tucked her under his arm, starting to carry her away as if she was nothing more than his schoolbooks. "I'm stealing Mitchie," he called back to the group. "She's going to teach me how to dance!"

"Well, _someone's_ got to!" Caitlyn called after them, laughing at Mitchie's protests.

* * *

"Are you sure Nate won't mind that I'm not in his class right now?" Mitchie asked as she looked through Shane's CDs.

She was sitting cross-legged in the cabin Shane had for his dance lessons; Mitchie had all of his CD books splayed out in front of her and Shane fiddling with his sound system.

"It's him and Caitlyn, alone, for an hour. I'm sure he's _devastated_."

"They're pretty cute together, huh?" Mitchie looked up from the books and smiled at him, holding out a CD she had chosen for him to put in. He took the CD in question and rolled his eyes.

"Really, Mitchie?"

"You're the one that had it! Put it in…_please_," she added when Shane made a face. He finally relented and stuck it in.

"For your information, these are the camp's CDs. Not mine. I don't actually own this CD."

"Oh, well, I'm pretty sure I do at home." She grinned widely as the familiar strains of 'When You Wish Upon A Star' came floating out of the stereo. "The Essential Disney Love Song Collection is nothing to be ashamed of, Shane."

"Do you realize what would happen if people knew I was in here, listening to Disney love songs with you?"

"With me?" Mitchie didn't know what he meant by that.

"With a girl!" He hurried on. "I didn't mean _you_, but I just meant…yeah. With a girl."

"Gotcha." She didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed. Did she even _want_ Shane to like her? She knew she was falling for him – and fast – but Shane was…Shane. And with him would come Shane-sized complications and _those_ she wasn't sure if she wanted. But deep down she knew that she would never have to deal with it; Shane was a celebrity. A Popstar. And she was not. She had a feeling that she was nothing more than a charity project for him. After all, he hadn't wanted to come to the camp in the first place, so what better way to insure that he wouldn't get bothered than by choosing to hang out with the one girl who no one else wanted? He looks sweet and gets avoided, all at the same time.

She wouldn't let herself dwell on that, though. Despite believing that Shane had ulterior motives in hanging out with her, she knew she should be grateful. Sure, she might've not had that particular aspect of Kylie's torture, but she was under no delusions that if she was not friends with Shane Gray, then Kylie Stiles would ignore her. Instead, she would just grin and bear it and enjoy all the time she spent with him, knowing that it couldn't last.

They ended up wasting their time by playing silly games with each other, ranging from tic-tac toe to hangman. They were currently in the middle of a very juvenile game of MASH.

"Ok, stop," Mitchie instructed him as Shane made tally marks. He counted the ones he had made and scrunched his face up before adding another one. "You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can. You said 'stop' before I was ready."

"Shane….gah, I don't know your middle name! But Shane Gray, that is _cheating_! With my future!" Mitchie made to grab for the notebook but he moved it out of reach.

"You don't know my middle name? I am hurt, Miss Torres."

"You don't know mine, either."

"Elena."

Mitchie's jaw dropped. "How do you know that?"

"It's engraved on your guitar," he pointed out smugly.

"Well, that's not fair. What's yours?"

Shane ignored her and picked up the notebook, continuing her game of MASH.

"Is it Richard? Shane Richard Gray?"

He looked up, perturbed. "My middle name is not _Dick_, thank you very much."

She winced. "Okay, sorry. Um, Adam? Shane Adam?" He shook his head. "Lloyd? Marco? Michael? Jack? Keith?"

"Well, no to all of those, and it's not Spanish." He added another tally mark in order to get his desired results.

"You're cheating!"

"And you're making me feel bad by not knowing my name," Shane tossed back easily.

"Justin? Jeremy?"

"It starts with an S."

"Sylvester," Mitchie said confidently.

Shane was laughing at this point. "No, again."

"It's Sassy, isn't it? Shane Sassy Gray. It suits you, it really does."

Shane tore out the piece of paper with her MASH results.

"Just for that, I don't think I'm going to let you see your future. You're just going to have to wonder for the rest of your life what this piece of paper says." He began folding it up when a lightbulb went off for Mitchie.

"Stephen! It's Stephen, isn't it?" Shane paused in his folding. "It is? I knew it! It's Stephen. Shane Stephen Gray." She held out her hand expectantly. "Future, please."

He sighed, but handed it over.

"You 'knew it' about ten guesses and one hint later," he grumbled as she looked over her results.

"A monkey for a pet? Oh, please. Ooh, I'm driving a Hummer? Ok, but only if it's eco-friendly. And I marry…you?" Mitchie double checked, and sure enough, Shane's scrappy handwriting was circled, with 'THE Shane Gray' being her final result. Crossed off were both Nate and … well, she assumes Jason, although his was scribbled out furiously versus the polite one line that Nate got, and then Brad Pitt.

"I'm marrying you over Brad Pitt? How realistic is this future, anyway?" Shane just shrugged.

"You can't argue with MASH, Mitch. It's set in stone from here on out."

"Well then, sorry to break it to you Popstar, but we are not having five kids. I mean, I love kids, but I think I draw the line at three. Maybe four."

"You're right," Shane mused. "Five is sort of crossing the line." He reached over and grabbed the paper, crossed out five and re-circled four.

"I thought you said this was set in stone?"

"I'm like King Arthur, I can do whatever I want to this stone," Shane explained, sending Mitchie into laughter.

"Sure you can, buddy." She looked up at the clock hanging on the wall and groaned. "I guess I should probably start making my way to Brown's next. I have no excuse to be late, do I?"

"I'll walk you." Shane got up and switched off the stereo, although Mitchie continued singing.

"_A whole new world, a hundred thousand things to see. I'm like a shooting star, I've come so far, I can't go back to where I used to be_…" She hummed the rest, shoving her notebook in her messenger bag.

"You really do have a great voice."

"Oh! Um, thanks." Mitchie blushed deeply. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to people complimenting her.

"There's something…familiar about it." She froze. Did he recognize it from the auditorium after Chaos? "I don't know what it is. But, it's a good thing," he insisted after seeing her worried face, not knowing the true source of her discontent. "But it's great, it really is."

She shook her head a little bit to clear it and held the door open for Shane.

"If only yours was as good…"

"_Hey!_"


	16. Beauty From Pain

**Author's Note: Soooo to all of you that saw Camp 2 this weekend…thoughts? I thought it was pretty good – a lot different from the first one. The first one was less like a musical and more like a movie where people perform, when this one was like, you know. Songs about their lives spontaneously happening. Very High School Musical-ish. Good, but not what I expected. So I don't know, what'd you guys think of it? I've been singing 'Wouldn't Change A Thing' for about 24 hours straight, soooo…**

**Enjoy this chapter! Download both songs used in this chapter on my TWITTA … /sammmmanthaj. **

**Love you allllllll!**

**

* * *

**

They made it to Brown's in time…well, in time for nothing, really. The rest of the very small class was already there, including Jason and Nate. Mitchie wished that this was how class always was – just her, Caitlyn, Lola, Barron, Sander and Andy. They all got along so well and she finally felt free to be herself.

Mitchie situated herself at the piano as Shane went to talk to Brown with Nate and Jason. She started going over the notes to her newly finished song. She was pretty sure she had it down, but she was happy to be able to try it out.

"Whatcha doin'?" Caitlyn slid onto the piano bench next to her.

"Just figuring out the music to this song I finished last night," she explained while marking up her notebook.

"You wrote one then?" Caitlyn batted her eyelashes. "Can I see it? Pretty, pretty please?"

Mitchie rolled her eyes but shoved the notebook at her. Caitlyn glanced at it then raised her eyebrows at Mitchie.

"You didn't change the lyrics, I see."

"Change? No. But…I added. And I think you'll like it." Caitlyn continued to read, a smile forming across her face.

"Like it? These words…it's amazing!" Cait was flabbergasted. "Gosh, they're so…mature."

"Don't sound so surprised!" Mitchie nudged her hard, almost sending her off the bench, but instead sending her into giggles. "What are the others doing?" She looked towards Lola and her boys.

"Let's go find out!"

The two hopped over to the small group, listening in to Lola singing as Sander beatboxed and Andy tapped a beat out.

"_…'cause now you're walkin' in the danger zone and if I touch you, I'll be wrong. Don't mess with my man, I'mma be the one to break it to you – got my girls, got my man, so find your own and leave mine alone. Don't' mess with my man, I'mma be the one to break it to ya – here's a little advice for you, find your own man._"

Barron twirled her in a circle before his smooth voice started.

"_It was hard to find a girl that's really down for me, seems like a lot of dudes be tryin' me 'cause they're trying to take my baby, oh, what the he…ck so, now you really better check yourself – messing with my girl is bad for your health and so you know you will be dealt with, find your own girl."_

"That's sick, guys!" Sander paused in his beatboxing. Now, how about you bring it all together, you know, maybe with: _If you mess with my girl, I'mma be the one to break it to you – got my guys, got my girl, so find your own and leave mine alone. Don't mess with my girl, I'mma be the one to break it to you – here's a little advice for you, find your own girl_."

"Perfect!" Lola gave all the guys a high five.

"That was awesome guys, truly." Mitchie was so impressed. "Are you guys going to do that at a Jam?"

"Probably," Lola shrugged. "We haven't really finished it, but that's what we're working with so far." She gave Mitchie a curious look. "So, what are you performing at this week's Jam?"

"Yyyyeah, about that," Mitchie looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I'm not entirely sure that's going to be on the agenda."

"What do you mean?" Caitlyn turned to her. "Just because of Saturday night?"

"Yeah, 'just because' of Saturday night. It wasn't something I'm really in the mood to repeat, okay?" She let out a sigh as she realized how snappy she had been. "Look, guys, I just…I don't know if I really feel comfortable doing this week's. I mean, they didn't want to hear me last week, they're not going to want to hear me on Saturday."

"Girl, it wasn't that they didn't want to hear _you_," Barron insisted. "They just didn't want to hear what Kylie Stiles would do to them if they disagreed with her. I think you should give it a try."

"Well…maybe. We'll see." Mitchie knew in her head that she probably wouldn't end up performing, but she didn't really feel like fighting them all on this.

"Well, what would you perform if you did go?" Lola asked.

"Not sure…maybe an original."

"You have _no_ idea what you'd play?" Lola pressed.

"Whoa, chill, girl," Cait tapped Lola's hair. "It's only Monday – she's got time to decide."

"Hah, sorry," Lola laughed awkwardly. "You're just _so_ good, I really wanted to know what you'd play."

"Oh, well, thanks…I think." Mitchie hadn't really thought Lola had heard her sing, besides some of the Beatles song that Mitchie had been rehearsing in her cabin with Caitlyn. She shrugged that off – who was she to reject a compliment? – and blushed instead.

"Ooh," Caitlyn turned to Mitchie. "I've got an idea."

Mitchie groaned. "She always makes me nervous when she says this," she told the group.

"Oh, come on," she said, grabbing Mitchie's wrist and leading her towards where Brown and Connect 3 stood.

"How old do you lot think I am?" Brown was asking incredulously. "I have toured with _Aerosmith_ and _Mick Jagger_. Not _The Beatles_!"

"So," Jason shared a look with Nate and Shane. "Does that mean you _can't_ get us a copy of the demo version of Beatles Rock Band?"

Brown threw his hands up in the air, exasperated, before noticing Mitchie and Caitlyn.

"Yes, loves?"

"Don't look at me," Mitchie shoved Caitlyn forward. "I don't know why we're standing here."

"Can Mitchie and I go down to the mess hall?"

"Can we what?" Mitchie wrinkled her nose at Caitlyn. "I spend like, 99% of my time there, Cait. Is there nowhere else you'd want to be?"

"We're not helping, or cleaning," she insisted.

"Well, then what _will_ you be doing?" Brown asked.

"I want to work on one of Mitchie's new songs."

"And you can't do this here because…?"

"Yeah, because…?" Mitchie echoed.

"The mess hall has that really great baby grand – and it's actually in tune, compared to the one back there. Plus, the acoustics are ten times better than in this room. The sound is cleaner and that's better to both play and record in."

Both Brown and Mitchie stared at her, neither really expecting a logical answer.

"Um, that'd be fine with me, I guess…" Brown scratched his head, looking a bit lost.

"Great! Off we go!" Caitlyn grabbed a still-silent Mitchie and thrusted her bag into her hands. "Bye!"

"That girl is seriously strange," Shane noted as Caitlyn dragged Mitchie along behind her, out the door.

"She prefers 'quirky,'" Nate said off-handedly, earning him raised eyebrows across the board.

"Does she, now?"

"Shut up, Shane."

"Hey, I'm just saying, you two have been pretty…cozy lately." Shane hopped up on his uncle's desk, dangling his feet.

"Must you?" Brown asked.

"I must." He pointed a finger at Nate. "You got some 'splainin' to do, Lucy."

"We're friends." Nate made a face. "And don't call me Lucy."

"I think she's nice," Jason piped in. "A little scary, but nice. She threatened to hit some girl this morning, but - ow!" Nate hit his arm, hard.

"I didn't hear that," Brown muttered as he walked away.

"She's just protective of Mitchie is all," Nate defended. "Speaking of…"

"Uh-uh. You can't do that. There was no 'speaking of.' You were the one doing the speaking. That was not a 'speaking of' moment," Shane rambled.

"Dude, I don't even know what you just said. And I'm pretty sure it _was_ a 'speaking of' moment."

"Speaking of what?" Jason asked.

"_Mitchie_," both boys responded, frustrated.

"Hah!" Nate looked triumphant. "So now you _are_ speaking of her."

Shane glowered, knowing that he walked right into that.

"Now _she's_ nice. And not scary. And she's totally helping me make a birdhouse since you two," Jason sent accusing glares to both of his friends, "wouldn't help me. Oh! I wasn't supposed to tell you! It's a secret! I take it back."

"We just heard you," Shane pointed out. "You can't take it back."

"Yes I can! I just did. It's taken back. You don't even remember."

"Yes, we do," Nate replied. "You said that you and Mitchie were-"

"LA LA LA LA LA LA."

Nate stared at Jason. "Really?" Jason nodded happily, and Nate turned back to Shane. "What were we talking about?"

"It worked!" They both ignored Jason.

"You were telling me how you have warm fluffy bunny feelings towards Caitlyn."

"I do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"You know, I almost preferred you when you were too busy being a jerk to have these types of arguments with me. Any chance you'll be going back to that sometime soon? As in now?"

"No can do, " Shane hopped off the desk and shoved Nate's head jokingly. "I'm a changed man." He grabbed his signature leather jacket and made to leave.

"And just where are you going?" Brown called across the room, silencing Lola and the boys. Shane turned around guiltily.

"Well, you know, it's ah- almost lunch! And I thought I'd get down there, beat the lunch rush, maybe grab some-"

"He wants to hear Mitchie singing," Nate interrupted, earning him a glare from Shane.

"Oh, well, in that case," Brown clapped his hands together gleefully. "Class field trip! Quickly, quickly, gather up your things."

"You're cool with this?" Shane asked, disbelievingly.

"It is technically still vocal lessons, Shane. I do believe my class wants to hear her sing."

And so the group of them – all eight of them – started making their way to the mess hall. They somehow managed to attract attention, as many kids came out of their cabins.

"Lunchtime, come along now," Brown called out to the occasional stray camper. "You've just got to be quiet, that's all I ask."

* * *

"You're right, it does sound a lot better in here," Mitchie commented appreciatively. The girls had done a quick look around, making sure that no one was in there, before popping in and letting Connie know that they'd be practicing. "This piano is amazing."

"No, the _acoustics_ in this room are amazing. That's why I love the mess hall. Look up." Mitchie did. "See the vaulted ceiling and all the beams? The reverb is great for a big, full-bodied sound."

"I have no idea what that means, but I like it," Mitchie laughed.

"Come on now, get to playing," Cait insisted.

"Wait, we're really doing this?" She watched as Caitlyn set up her laptop on a nearby table.

"Well, yes and no. Yes, in the sense that I really want to hear this song. And no in the sense that you _definitely_ need to tell me about your morning."

"_I_ do?" Mitchie started playing the slow tune that she hoped would transform into her song. "I'm pretty sure you need to tell me everything that happened with you and Nate, too." Caitlyn hesitated and Mitchie shot her a look, still playing. "I tell you _everything_ about my boring life."

"Your life is a lot of things, but it's not boring." Cait sighed. "But okay. And no, I think you should try that last chord a bit lower. Ok, well, he's usually so business oriented, or class-oriented. But when you get him talking about other things, he really is quite funny. He was telling me stories about Connect 3 in the beginning – you know, before the whole 'Shane-is-a-diva' stage happened. He said that when him, Shane and Jason got their first royalty check from their debut album, they all did the Snoopy dance in Jason's living room." The two girls laughed at the mental image that produced.

"He seems like a really nice guy," Mitchie said.

"He's really sweet," Caitlyn mused. "He's not like…well, whatever I thought he'd be. He's different."

"That seems to be the trend with those boys. Well, except for Jason. With Jason, you pretty much get what you see."

"But that brings us back to Shane," Caitlyn needled. Mitchie just shook her head ruefully.

"How about this – we work on the song for the rest of this period, and then I tell you _everything_ you could possibly want to know after classes today?"

"Ooh, there's that much to tell? Deal."

Mitchie rolled her eyes but nodded, getting to work on taking her song seriously.

It took a while, but they finally got it to where they thought it should be.

"This is a _seriously_ beautiful song, Mitchie," Caitlyn commented as they ran through it again. She walked around the table and looked up, and her jaw dropped at what she saw.

"Thanks. I think the drums at the end really make the song complete, you know?"

All the kids from the vocal lesson, including Brown and the boys from Connect 3, plus at least 50 other campers, were standing to Mitchie's back, outside the screened-in windows, all with bated breath. Shane made a circling motion with his finger to Caitlyn and mouthed '_one more time_' to her. They had only caught the tail bit of the last performance.

"Cait?" Mitchie questioned when her friend didn't respond.

"Oh! The drums, right. Uh, you know what? Let's do it one more time."

"Are you sure? Isn't it lunch soon?"

Caitlyn made a show of pretending to look at her computer's clock. "Nah, we've got plenty of time. So once more, how 'bout it?" If Mitchie noticed her over eager tone, she didn't comment on it.

"Um, sure, if you think we have time." She cracked her knuckles over-dramatically and cleared her throat. "AHEM. Okay, much better. Let's do this."

She started out with a somewhat simple, haunting piano melody. Her mouth opened and Caitlyn could tell instantly that she was already in the zone – she was putting herself right back into the moment she had written the words, milking all of the emotion she could.

"_The lights go out all around me_

_One last candle to keep out the night._

_And then the darkness surrounds me_

_I know I'm alive but I feel like I've died._

_And all that's left is to accept that it's over_

_My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made_

_I try to keep warm but I just grow colder_

_I feel like I'm slipping away_."

Caitlyn chanced a look up at the crowd that had gathered outside the windows. Shane and Jason looked to be in physical pain as they registered the dark words that Mitchie sang. As she made her way through the chorus, a small, proud smile worked its way across Shane's face.

"_After all this has passed, I still will remain_

_After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain_

_Though it won't be today,_

_Someday I'll hope again_

_And there'll be beauty from pain_

_You will bring beauty from my pain."_

Mitchie closed her eyes tightly before continuing with the next verse, remembering all the pain she went through at first, school, and now, camp. She heard the slow and steady drum track from Caitlyn's laptop kicked in and continued strongly.

"_My whole world is the pain inside me_

_The best I can do is just get through the day_

_When life before is only a memory_

_I wonder why God lets me walk through this place_

_And though I can't understand why this happened_

_I know that I will when I look back someday_

_And see how you've brought beauty from ashes_

_And made me as gold purified through these flames."_

Mitchie gritted her teeth as she let her voice grow, rising with the drums.

"_After all this has passed, I still will remain_

_After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain_

_Though it won't be today,_

_Someday I'll hope again_

_And there'll be beauty from pain_

_You will bring beauty from my pain._

_Here I am at the end of me" _Caitlyn's eyes widened at the sudden strength and power in that line – Mitchie hadn't been attempting to try those notes in their earlier run throughs.

"_Trying to hold on to what I can't see_

_I forgot how to hope_

_This night's been so long_

_I cling to your promise_

_There will be a dawn."_

Both Mitchie's piano playing and the drum track paused as Mitchie sang the next lines loudly, actually appreciating the way it sounded in the large, empty mess hall.

"_After all this has passed, I still will remain_

_After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain" _She added in a soft line of piano, overshadowing it easily with her voice.

_Though it won't be today,_

_Someday I'll hope again_

_And there'll be beauty from pain_

_You will bring beauty from my pain_."

She wiped the lone tear that had made its way down her cheek as she let the piano's final note resonate through the mess hall.

"Well, I was right about one thing," she said bitterly to Caitlyn. "It definitely won't be today."

Before Caitlyn could respond, a singular person's clapping interrupted them. Mitchie's eyes widened as she turned around slowly. There, beyond the screened-in windows, was Shane Gray, standing in a sea of people, grinning like a mad man and clapping loudly. Soon, Jason and Nate joined in, followed quickly by her other friends, then Brown and then…the rest of the campers standing around him.

"They're clapping for _you_, Mitchie," Caitlyn said softly from beside her.

"How…I don't…how long have they been there?" She finally managed to get out.

"At least for the entire last run through of the song. Before that, I don't know."

"You noticed them!" Mitchie accused, still staring at the applauding audience before her. "You noticed them and had me purposely play the song again. You little sneak."

"You mad?"

"I probably should be, but…no." She turned and looked at her as the clapping dwindled and campers started filtering into the cafeteria. "Thanks, Cait."

"Hey, you sang it, not me." She began gathering up her laptop and stuffing it into her bag.

"You were great," Shayne suddenly said from behind her. She whirled around and grinned up at him.

"Thanks! I can't believe everyone heard that, though."

"That was a really beautiful song," Nate piped in.

"Mitchie!" Jason suddenly bowled her over with a hug. Shane couldn't help but to look at him dubiously, tapping his foot in impatience. Hadn't _he_ been talking to Mitchie? "That was the best song in the universe!" He spun her around before placing her back on her feet.

"I'm not sure about that, but thank you. Really." She let Jason swing her arm around her shoulders and lead her to the food, followed by Caitlyn.

"What is he _doing_?" Shane asked Nate irritably.

"He's being nice, Shane." That got him a look. "I'm just saying, maybe Mitchie didn't want to keep staring at you from five feet away." He started to walk away, but then turned around, still walking backwards. "What are you so afraid of, anyway?" He called, but turned around quickly, not expecting an answer.

As Shane watched Nate sneak up behind Caitlyn and say something in her ear, causing her to jump, he had to wonder what _was_ he afraid of. It was so complicated. He had quickly come to think of Mitchie as one of his best friends; did he really want to jeopardize that with all these…feelings he had? He had no idea what to do at this point. He wasn't sure if he could give her what she deserved, but at the same time, he wanted to tear Jason apart for thinking that it was all right to touch her and flirt with her.

It was all just too confusing for him to even think about. He was just going to keep going about things as he had been this whole time. Why complicate things, right?

Wrong.

* * *

They all sat down to lunch together and were still talking about how great Mitchie's song was when suddenly, Mitchie felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned around slightly hesitantly, as usually nothing good came from unknown people wanting to talk to her.

A group of girls were standing behind her, from the looks of it, all first years.

"Um, Mitchie?" The ringleader asked quietly.

"Yes…?"

"We just wanted to tell you how great you were. We heard your song and it was really pretty. We're sorry for walking out the other day."

Instinctively, Mitchie's hand went to her heart as it started racing. The impromptu apology, which was completely unexpected, sent her body into shock.

"It's…um, it's okay."

"You're _really_ good," another girl spoke up, which led the rest of the girls to nod vigorously in agreement. "We're really sorry."

Mitchie could only smile softly as the girls left. She turned back to the table.

"I think I sort of want to cry," she admitted in a small voice.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked, alarmed. He put his hand to her forehead.

"I'm fine!" She laughed, swatting his hand away. "That was just…nice of them."

Shane shook his head. "They shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Maybe not," she shrugged. "But I understand. Kylie is a couple of years older than them anyway, they were probably intimidated. I don't blame them."

"You should," Shane insisted. Mitchie found herself getting a little riled.

"But I don't. They just wanted to fit in, what's so wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with being yourself and having people like you for that?"

Caitlyn let out a low whistle at that and looked down, knowing what was coming.

"_Because_," Mitchie stood up but leaned over so that she was eye level with Shane. "Sometimes people don't _give a damn_ about what you're 'really' like. I could've come here and lied about everything and told some fake story about who I am. Maybe if my dad was famous or my mom wasn't the cook then people wouldn't treat me like dirt. I was myself when I came here, and look where that got me," she spat. She closed her eyes and instantly looked apologetic. "I didn't mean it like that guys, I…"

"We know," Caitlyn reassured her.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I have to go." Unshed tears in her eyes, Mitchie grabbed her bag and quickly left the table.

"Well, fuck." Shane put his head in his hands.

"That'd sum it up."

"Why'd she get so defensive, Caitlyn? I didn't mean it like that."

"I think…and this is just a hunch, so I'm not sure, but I don't think we really know how hard it is on Mitchie. She told me that she gets tripped at least once a day, did you know that?" The boys shook their heads. "I mean, she acts like she doesn't really care, or that it doesn't bother her, but I mean, it sort of _has_ to, right? These people don't even know her and they hate her…I think Mitchie knows more than anyone about how nice it'd be to fit in. She knows that she can't, but she won't hold that want against those little girls, either."

"You think Mitchie wants to be like, _friends_ with Tess and Kylie?" Nate didn't believe that for a second.

"No, but I think what Mitchie wants is to be able to go to class and not have people push her every time they see her."

"I'm an idiot," Shane moaned, running his fingers through his hair. He paused and stared at his quiet friends. "Don't all rush to disagree, guys."

"You _are_ an idiot," Nate pointed out.

"Yeah. And usually people call me that! The times, they are a-changing."

Shane gave Jason an odd look. "…_Right_. So, should I go after her?"

An emphatic 'yes!' from the three people surrounding him caused him to jump up and head out of the cafeteria in a hurry, looking for one Mitchie Torres.


	17. The Ha Ha Game

**Author's Note: First of all, I love all of you who reviewed. So much, that I'm going to reply to you all right here. If this isn't your thing, just skip on ahead and enjoy the chapter!**

**Alidei – I'm so happy someone else agreed with me on the CR2 thing! It's not that the movie wasn't enjoyable, but I agree sooo much when you say that the first one was more movie-like. I'm sure I'll learn to love it, of course.**

**Socks900 – While they diiiid hear her sing, Shane still hasn't put it together that he's already heard her!**

**.grace – So many reviewers love Superchick which is really fun for me since a lot of my friends in real life don't even know who they are. They are so great, I reaaaaally love the Beauty From Pain album!**

**Wiinterxxxbabii – I'm so glad you like my story! I absolutely love your reviews and how you hold nothing back; they really stand out against the generic (but still greatly appreciated!) 'update asap' reviews. Smitchie-ness is coming, promise!**

**Sabse14love – I'm like, 99% sure that Shane and Mitchie talk in the next chapter! Or, ok. Whenever the Beach Jam happens, that's when you gotta be on the look out, k? **

**Muzicoftheheart – I didn't even notice that Nate calling Shane an idiot was like a CR2 reversal! It's crazy since I wrote this a long time ago that it is still relevant – I was nervous that CR2 would come out and everyone would just be interested in spin-off stories from that, so I'm really glad that people still stuck with this one!**

**Crazedneonlights – OK SO I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING but what waaaaas that Dana thing? They devoted maybe 10 minutes in the movie to it and it just didn't really seem thought out, and it was so awkward. So so so awkward! I was not a fan of it in any way and I am so glad another person agrees with me! I also hope people don't beat me up for thinking this…**

**Music4Live-JB – I promise that Shane discovers who Mitchie is soon. Very soon! And I also promise that it is juuust as dramatic as one would think it would be!**

**BandS4ever – I am so glad you like my story! I try to update every Sunday and Thursday but sometimes I get too excited for a chapter and it comes early…the next chapter might be one of those!**

**Lauren – I feel like Mitchie does have it reeeeally bad in my story but hopefully you'll see that things DO get better for her eventually! Promise!**

**The Princess Wolf – Superchick is seriously an underrated band; they are one of my absolute favorites too! I loved the song before I even thought to include it but I knew I'd probably end up including one of their songs sometime because I love them alllll so much! **

**Monica – Your review meant so much to me! I'm so glad that you think my story stands at least a little bit taller than some of the others; I think that's my ultimate goal. I'm trying to balance out the drama (hence this very fluffy chapter you're about to read hahahahah) but I am honestly so glad that you enjoy reading my story. I'm just trying to add a fic that I think I would enjoy into the pool for everyone else to read and like, and even if I only got this review, I'd feel like I'm doing a good job. So just thank you, so so so much!**

**FredLyonsTheGreat – The portrayals are seriously the hardest thing to do so I am so glad that you think they're even acceptable, let alone actually good. I was worried that since I wrote this before Camp Rock 2 (or at least most of it) that when Camp Rock 2 came out and we got to know the characters even more, then I would look awful in comparison, so I can only hope that I live up to it!**

* * *

Shane didn't have to look far to find Mitchie. He saw her as soon as he stepped outside of the mess hall, just a ways down the path leading to the class cabins, picking up papers from the ground.

He could hear her mumbling as he jogged over to help her and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

"Stupid, mother-effing…yeah, I get it, you can knock stuff out of my hands, but _yeah_, so could a caveman. They're nothing but cavemen, all of them, really…"

Shane knelt down beside her and handed her a notebook that had fallen behind her.

"Thanks," she muttered, not looking up. She soon did, however, and her jaw fell open at the sight of Shane Gray, kneeling beside her. She knew she should be used to it by now, after spending so much time together, but there was just something about him that always made her feel the tiniest bit starstruck whenever she saw him. She suspected it had something to do with how completely perfect he was. Even when he made her angry, she still found herself being reminded of how perfect he was.

She knew that she had overreacted, and worse: possibly hurt her friends. Shane just didn't know how badly she wanted to fit in, but how could he? She had never once mentioned it to her friends. She wanted to give off the aura of being above it all, being the bigger person. But Mitchie thought that if there was a chance of her being able to lie to fit in, and not getting caught, she just might take it.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment of simply staring into her eyes. They stood together, eyes still locked, until Mitchie cleared her throat and looked down.

"It's fine, I overreacted."

"No, I don't think you did. I was an ass. Who am I to blame people for wanting to fit in? It's been so long since I _haven't_ fit in, I just didn't think about it." Before Mitchie could say something, he held his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, not being a jerk here. Just stating a fact."

She conceded that point to him, although she couldn't help but wonder…

"So there was once a time where Shane Gray _didn't_ fit in everywhere he went?"

"I wasn't always a popstar, you know." Mitchie raised her eyebrows at the title he had given himself, but remained silent. "When I was in middle school, I was that kid with the guitar. I wasn't that popular, I didn't go out of my way to make friends, and I…I sort of have a lisp. It's faint, but it's there and it's enough to make me that 'weird guitar kid.'" He gave her a soft look. "But, back then, I would've given anything to fit in."

"And now…?"

"And now, I'm Shane Gray, Popstar. People change who _they_ are to try and fit in with _me_. And I'm so glad that you don't, Mitchie. I think I got so mad at the idea of you of changing to fit in because I like the Mitchie I know so much. I know it's selfish, but I'd rather you be…_you_ than have you fit in."

"You'd rather have me get pushed around and made fun of constantly just so I could be who I am and hang around you?" A guilty look crossed Shane's face. "Me too."

"When you put it that way…what?" He caught on to the last thing she said.

"The reason I don't even try to fit in, Shane, isn't because I _can't_, but because I don't really want to. Would it be nice to not have to deal with all the shit they throw at me every day? Yes. But what I've got in return are you and Jason and Nate and Caitlyn, and…oh, god, it came out so wrong back there, but I really am so glad to have you guys in my life. I just can't be mad at those girls for wanting to fit in when they _didn't_ have something like this to fall back on."

"I get it. Or at least I think I do. Do you ever just want to give it all up?" They started walking slowly towards his dance cabin.

"I just remind myself that I am happy with who I am," she responded, ignoring the question. She didn't want to think about how bad it hurt sometimes or how badly she wanted to give it up sometimes. She always felt so guilty after thinking those things. "Did you ever want to give up being a Popstar once the press started saying stuff about you?"

Shane actually looked embarrassed at that.

"All the time, actually. I hated the fact that my life was suddenly on display for all these people. It took a lot of convincing from Nate and even Jason for me to remember that it's worth getting people to hear my music. And then I started…acting like I did, and I got even more mad even though I was the one giving all the magazines their fodder. They rarely even said something that was untrue, that's the worst part." A small, bittersweet smile appeared on his face. "I have no idea what they're writing about while I'm here…or what they'll write about when I get back."

"Oh yeah? So this new Shane is here for good?" Mitchie teased lightly although she was very grateful that the conversation was no longer focused on her.

"Yeah, you know, I was thinking about keeping him here…just because it's easier. No other reason," he said playfully.

"Yeah," Mitchie laughed. "Isn't it just so much easier being nice?"

"Like you would even know how hard it is to be mean. You don't have a mean bone in your body."

"I'm no saint, Shane. I've done some things I'm not proud of, but when you're surrounded by people that hate you so much, sometime it just gets to be too much."

"What sins have you committed, Mitchie Torres?"

She shoved him lightly.

"Nothing bad! They were pranks, barely."

"Tell me more!"

And so she did, regaling him with stories of some of the funnier things she had done to the upper crust at Grant High. That's how everyone found them about twenty minutes later – sitting on the floor of Shane's dance cabin, laughing whole heartedly at something Mitchie had just said.

"Why do I get nervous whenever I see you two laughing like maniacs?" Nate Black asked as he held the door open for Cait.

"Because they're both crazy," Cait answered for them.

Shane made a big show of going through his notebooks then _hmmm_-ed very loudly.

"I don't seem to see you on the roster, Nathan." He shook his head. "I'm going to have to have you leave my class."

Caitlyn suddenly appeared behind his shoulder.

"That's not the roster, that's a piece of paper with MASH on it." A second and then – "Give it to me!" She lunged as Shane tried to escape.

"Is he always so…crazy?" Mitchie asked Nate as the two leaned against the wall, watching their friends go at it. Currently, Caitlyn was hanging off of Shane's (very, _very_ toned, as Mitchie saw it) arm, her feet not touching the ground, but the notebook just out of reach.

"No," Nate said seriously. "He hasn't been like this in months. And then we go to this high school, he hears some girl play a song and get made fun of and suddenly he's a changed person."

"Huh." Mitchie didn't know what to say.

"If you ask me, I think he's wanted to change for a while, this girl was just the catalyst. He's just so frustrated with a lot of things the label has been doing, he didn't know how else to deal with it. But now that he's back and he's writing music again, and there's you, I just feel like Connect 3 is coming back together."

Mitchie wanted to ask him what he meant by 'there's her' now, but before she could, she was forced to catch a notebook that was flying towards her face.

"Mitchie, take it and run!" Caitlyn cried, struggling to get to her feet now that Shane was actively trying to hold her up. Mitchie looked at the notebook confusedly.

"I already know what this says, though."

"Give it here, Mitchie." Shane let Caitlyn go suddenly, causing her to fall in a heap to the ground.

"You don't want her to see?"

"_Mitchiiiiiiie_," Shane whined. "It's _our_ future. I don't want everyone to know before it happens; it'll ruin it."

"Fair enough," she conceded. She threw the notebook to him just in time before Caitlyn tackled her to the ground and into giggles.

They lay there afterwards, much to the amusement of everyone else.

"I've got an idea," Mitchie said suddenly. "Shane, come here. Lie down behind me…let me put my head on your stomach." She repositioned herself so that Caitlyn's head was on her stomach, too. Shane looked at her dubiously but did as he was told.

"Now Nate, come over here," Caitlyn called to him, catching on to what Mitchie was doing. "Lie down and put your head on my stomach."

Mitchie and Caitlyn managed to convince everyone to participate, creating a human chain of heads on stomachs, finally with Lola (who came in late, since she was normally in piano lessons) coming in for Shane to rest his head on her stomach.

"I haven't done this since slumber parties when I was little," Caitlyn said happily.

"Me neither!" Mitchie was happy she had thought of it.

"No offense, but do _what_?" Barron called from his position between Lola and Andy.

"Oh, sorry." Mitchie craned her head to look at Shane, who was already staring at her. "Shane, you start."

"Start what?"

"This is the Ha Ha Game."

"Okay…? I still don't know how to start it."

"Well, the point of the game is to try not to laugh. But it's the hardest thing _ever_." Mitchie let out a short laugh which almost ruined everything, as Caitlyn pinched her side.

"Don't get me started, Mitchie!" She scolded.

"Sorry, sorry," she grinned unrepentantly. "Okay, Shane, you start off. You say 'ha.'"

"I'm humoring you, you know that, right?" He rolled his eyes. "Ha."

Mitchie was next. "Ha, ha."

Then Caitlyn. "Ha, ha, ha."

Nate was a little less sure. "Ha, ha, ha…ha?"

"Yup," Mitchie encouraged.

They had almost made it to Lola when it collapsed.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha…" Barron tried, but soon enough, he was cracking up. His laughter spurred Lola and Andy, and soon a wave of uncontrollable laughter spread over the group. They eventually quieted down, only to be spurred on again by either Caitlyn or Mitchie dissolving into giggles once more.

It was hard to explain _why_ it was so funny, but no one could stop themselves from laughing. It was so contagious that they laid there for minutes on end, most of them with tears running down their faces from laughing so much.

After a bout of particularly raucous laughter, their attention was drawn to the door.

"What on Earth is going on in here?" Brown asked with a smile on his face as he stepped inside. "I thought something had happened." His eyes instinctively went to Mitchie, and everyone was well aware that he had assumed something humiliating had happened to her and that the laughter was that of the cruel campers.

"It's a new…dance technique," Shane told him. This time, it was Shane who lost it first, trying to repress his laughter, which only led him to snort, causing everyone to explode in hilarity.

"Shane, my boy, I was born at night, but not last night."

"We need to stretch all of our muscles," Shane got out once he had calmed down enough to speak.

"What you need is therapy," Brown mutter good-naturedly. "Just making sure that everything's going good. Am I going to have a chance to hear the new song you boys wrote before you play it at Beach Jam this weekend?"

"You guys wrote a new song?" Mitchie stretched up to look at Shane's face.

"Shane did most of it," Nate spoke up. "And we really should practice that, guys. Fine tune a few things."

"Yes, boss," Shane tossed out sarcastically.

"Nate's not our boss," Jason informed him. "He's just in our band."

Mitchie and Caitlyn giggled while the rest of the group ignored him.

"Maybe we could use the mess hall after dinner," Shane suggested to Brown. "Is it open?"

"Sure things, lads. Just make sure the windows are closed if you don't want anybody listening in."

Mitchie's face burned red. She had almost – _almost_ – forgot that had happened. She tried to bury her face into Shane's stomach instinctively reacting to her embarrassment.

"By the way," Brown spoke directly to her. "That was a fantastic song, Mitchie. Your vocals are much stronger when you're not worried about what a class might think."

"Yeah, well…"

"Lack of confidence can be an issue, but so can over confidence."

"Why does everyone look at me?" Shane cried in mock outrage.

"The trick is finding the right balance, love."

"I'm trying," she told him honestly.

"I'm glad. Well, I'm off. I never was much for dancing. You lot continue your…stretches."

* * *

The group eventually disentangled themselves but remained close together, in a circle, chatting. Once it was time for the last period, Lola, Barron, Sander and Andy all got up to go to their last class, which was specific to their different talents (Lola had drama, Andy had percussion and Barron and Sander were off to an R&B class).

Jason and Mitchie had opted to stay with Shane, who had no one in his last class. Nate and Caitlyn got up and informed everyone that they'd be going to work on mixing some tracks together, but instead, found themselves taking a leisurely stroll around the camp.

"Is it strange being back here?" Caitlyn asked Nate as he pointed out various parts of the camp and telling her the memories he had attached to it.

"A little. But in a good way, I guess. I keep expecting to get yelled at to get to class, but then I remember that I'm the one teaching the class." He inhaled deeply, loving the scent of the nature that surrounded them. "Shane was the one that didn't really want to go back. Jason and I were looking forward to it. But it's doing good things for Shane, and its great publicity for Brown and the camp."

Caitlyn tried to hide a smirk and gave Nate a doleful look. He hung his head and gave a groan.

"How long that time?"

"Maybe 3 minutes. But its progress!"

Ever since Caitlyn pointed out his tendency to be completely business-oriented, he had been trying futilely to get better about it.

"Gah! Am I really that bad?" He kicked a rock in front of him in frustration.

"A little. It's… I mean, I'm sure it comes in handy, right?"

"Yeah, you should see Shane and Jason. Shane understands everything, he just doesn't want any part in the planning of it. And Jason…man, half the time I think he just expects us to wake up where we're supposed to be, magically. If one of us didn't pay attention to all the little details, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"Did you ever try and tell them this? It can't be fun for you to be the only one doing all this work," Caitlyn commented softly.

"It's not." Nate let out a sigh. "It's the reason why everyone thinks I'm so serious all the time – because I _have_ to be. If I wasn't, we'd all be goofing off and missing flights and ruining our careers."

"Don't you guys have a manager for stuff like that?"

"Oh, you haven't met our manager yet," Nate said with a laugh. It warmed Caitlyn's heart to think about there actually being a 'yet.' Does that mean she _would_ meet him? "He's a…character. I only hope that this 'new Shane' will be better with him now. The older Shane and our manager could barely stand to be in the same room together. Seth, our manager, is…well, he's actually a typical guy. He's rude and obnoxious and kind of a dick."

"And he's your manager…?"

"He knows a lot of people. A _lot_ of people. And he's good at what he does. Sort of." Cait shot him an incredulous look. "He's from the label," Nate confessed. "Shane actually requested a new manager a while ago, but since it was _him_, no dice. That's sort of when Shane stopped caring at all."

"Rough."

"Ugh, listen to me. This is _all_ business. I'm sure you don't care about any of this. Let's talk about you, huh?" He nudged her with his shoulder.

"I care! I do. Besides, I'm boring."

"Boring? That's not a word I would ever associate with you. You are a lot of things, Caitlyn Gellar, but you are not boring." Cait had to admit that she felt a little bit like Mitchie with the blush that covered her cheeks. "Your parents are the Gellars! They produce all the big-budget action films. That must be so neat."

"Yeah, neat." Caitlyn visibly deflated at the mention of her parents. "Maybe you'll meet them at Friends and Family Weekend," she said lightly, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Hmm…meet the Gellars or meet your parents?"

Caitlyn was pleased with this answer. Pleased enough to actually volunteer some personal information.

"There's only one mode with them, and it's not parent-mode."

"That must suck."

Caitlyn brushed it off. "Nah, it's not too bad. I mean, my parents are _the Gellars_. Everyone wants to know them and they know everyone, so I'm pretty lucky, right?" She decided to change topics before it got too much more involved. "But I don't know, now I not only have the Gellars for parents, but I know Nate from Connect 3…people are going to be crawling all over themselves to be friends with me," she teased.

"You know Shane and Jason, too," he pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, but I taught a class with _the cute one_. That's got a certain cache to it, don't you think?"

Nate felt a smile trying to claim his face and had to rein it in to a smirk.

"I thought Shane was the cute one?" He asked innocently.

"You're the cute one that _doesn't_ come across as a complete asshole," she explained. "Not that he is, really, but you know…how he _came_ across."

"I know what you mean. Trust me…it's still somewhat of a shock to me. Whatever magic Mitchie worked, I've never been so grateful."

"They're really cute together. He's so different than what I thought he'd be!" Caitlyn thought for a moment before speaking again. "Do you think he likes Mitchie?"

Nate shot her a _duh_ look.

"He _says_ he doesn't." Caitlyn's face fell. "But he also said that he would never be caught eating dinner in the mess hall, and look how that turned out."

Caitlyn had to snicker at that. "I wish I knew how Mitchie felt about him – she's so close lipped about everything! Not that I don't blame her, but still. I just wonder how the rest of this summer is going to be after everything…"

"Yeah, Mitchie and Shane sure are a pair," Nate agreed readily.

* * *

"Are you _kidding_ me? 'Mitchie and Shane are a pair'?" Mitchie and Caitlyn were lying around in Mitchie's cabin, Mitchie on her bed and Caitlyn on one of the two spare ones, after dinner that night.

"That's what he said," Caitlyn told her.

"_We're_ the pair? He cannot call _us_ the pair when he has yet to admit his feelings for you."

Caitlyn sprayed the sip of lemonade that was in her mouth as Mitchie said this everywhere.

"What feelings? Nate and I are friends." She started to mop up the mess she had made.

"So are Shane and I."

"Yeah, right," Caitlyn scoffed. Mitchie shrugged.

"If you and Nate and friends, then Shane and I can be friends, right?"

"It's different and you know it!"

"Oh, I so do _not_ know it. There is nothing going on with Shane and I. We're _friends_, just like you and Nate."

"Friends that flirt a lot," Cait challenged.

"Nate flirts with you, too! Hell, Jason flirts with us. I'm beginning to think it's just a Connect 3 thing. Popstars are just naturally flirty."

"Although you have to admit," Caitlyn got a devious look in her eyes. "The look on Shane's face when he sees Jason flirting with you is _priceless_. He just glares!"

The girls both shared a laugh at that; Shane would get so grumpy anytime Jason focused his attention on them.

"What do you say that tomorrow, we give them something to glare at?" Mitchie suggested evilly.

"Oh, Mitchie Torres, I like how you think!"

* * *

The next morning, Caitlyn and Mitchie helped out Connie with breakfast as usual, although the two were in quite the mood. They kept giving each other looks and then bursting into laughter.

"I don't know what's going to be funnier," Cait laughed. "Jason's reaction or Nate and Shane's."

It turned out it was a complete tie.

As soon as Jason walked in for breakfast with Nate (Shane always trailed behind about 10 minutes later), the girls attached themselves to him. They looped their arms through his and skipped through the mess hall to get them food, leaving Nate standing there with his mouth open.

Shane was just as confused when he came in fifteen minutes later, seeing Caitlyn and Mitchie sitting on either side of a very pleased Jason (he had no idea what he did, but he liked it). For the past week it had been Nate and Caitlyn on one bench, him and Mitchie on one, and Jason on another. He got his food and cautiously sat down on the unoccupied bench opposite the three people in question.

"So, Jase, what do you say to…hanging out tonight?" Mitchie had waited until Shane had reached the table before proposing this to Jason. He looked up at her and she mouthed '_birdhouse_.'

"Ooh, _yes_! I would _love_ to. More than love to. I would _die_ to. But not really die, because then we couldn't hang out and I _really_ want to-"

"I think she gets it, Jase," Shane cut in forcefully; Caitlyn and Mitchie quickly averted their eyes to prevent themselves from cracking up.

"Jason, don't you have beginner's guitar in the morning? I was thinking maybe I could come to a few classes, you know, if Nate doesn't need me to help out…"

Mitchie had to shove a piece of toast in her mouth to prevent herself from laughing aloud.

"I need you! …I mean," he coughed self-consciously. "I need your help. Beginner's production…can be tricky. And stuff."

"Okay," Cait said easily, turning back to Jason. "So, maybe some other time then? I mean, I know you're busy and stuff, but I was thinking learning guitar might be fun for me."

"You know, we all can play guitar," Shane mentioned, stepping up to the plate for Nate. Caitlyn just gave him a confused face in response. "It's just that Jason doesn't have to be the one to teach you. We _all_ can play guitar."

"But Jason's the guitar _teacher_." Another piece of toast was shoved into Mitchie's mouth.

"Why don't I teach you guitar, Caity?" Nate bit the bullet and asked softly.

"_Mmmphr hrph merrrr mraw_!" The entire table looked to Mitchie, who was trying to yell at Caitlyn but couldn't manage to with the piece and a half of toast that was currently in her mouth. Caitlyn knew that Mitchie was riled about the name Nate had just called her. (Mitchie recalled her name rules very vividly: "Caitlyn or Cait. Call me Caity and you'll die a slow and painful death.")

"Have another piece of toast, _Mitch_," Caitlyn taunted and shoved another piece in her mouth. Hey, if Mitchie didn't want anyone to call her Mitch and yet let Shane call her that, wasn't Caitlyn allowed the same exceptions?

"That'd be great, Nate," Caitlyn replied just as softly to Nate as if she hadn't just tried to choke her friend. They locked eyes and shared a smile.

"Blah!" Mitchie finally finished her mouthful of toast. "Ugh, next time, butter it."


	18. Play My Music

**Author's Note: BIG CHAPTER HERE. ALERT. BIG CHAPTER! It'll probably seem a little reminiscent to a scene or two in Camp Rock 1 but trust me…very different. You guys have been waiting for this! Let me know if it lived up to your expectations!**

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* * *

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It was one of the better days at camp for Mitchie. A few campers came up and told her that her song was fantastic and apologized for leaving during the Jam. Of course, there were a few people that told her how terrible they thought her song was, and how pissed they were that she made them lose a day of classes. Kylie Stiles actually thanked her for a missed day.

"Thanks again, Mitchie," Kylie had said as she brushed past her out of their vocal lessons with Brown. "After all, if I didn't have yesterday off, I wouldn't have been able to figure out how to make Beach Jam even more special for you this weekend. See you later, hun."

How comforting.

Mitchie had long before decided that she wasn't going to perform at this week's Jam. She simply didn't want to deal with the drama. One whole week without drama is something she desperately craved. Besides, with her impromptu performance yesterday in the mess hall, it was like she had already performed that week anyway. She doubted anyone would miss her.

After classes finished, she spent most of her time writing cheesy love songs in her notebook. She rarely ever wrote love songs because when she did, they always turned out…she didn't even know. Commercialized. Sub-standard. Corny.

But, she had to admit, it was fun. It was fun to be able to write all those clichés that had been rattling around in her brain but she hadn't written down, let alone said aloud. She had no intention of ever performing these, or even coming up for more complex music aside from some simple chords on her guitar. It was just a good way to end the day.

She helped her mom with dinner – several different types of stew with homemade cornbread – and made it through dinner with no major incidents. Until the last five minutes.

She was straddling the bench after finishing her meal, talking animatedly with Shane.

"Are you serious?" She shoved him lightly. "No. I refuse to believe that you think Aerosmith is better than the Rolling Stones. I won't."

"So abusive," Shane said, rubbing his arm. "And believe it, 'cause it's true."

Before Mitchie could respond, a certain blonde hair singer tripped over her outstretched foot.

"Oh my, gosh, I'm so sorry," Mitchie apologized before she saw who had stumbled; she had only felt her foot catch on something.

"Are you _trying_ to ruin my life?" Tess Tyler snarked.

"Um…no? Are you okay?" She noticed that Tess hadn't actually fallen, just stumbled a step. That hardly classified as 'life-ruining' to Mitchie.

"Are you?" Tess then proceeded to tip her tray just enough that scalding hot stew fell along Mitchie's bare arm and shoulder. "Whoops."

Mitchie let out a loud yell of pain and started wiping the stew off furiously as tears of pain gathered in her eyes.

"Don't!" Mitchie said forcefully to Caitlyn who looked as if she was about to start a food fight of epic proportions. "I have to clean it all up, remember?"

"Oh, right," Tess said as she let more of her stew slip from her bowl, now splashing onto the floor. "You _do_ have to clean it all up, don't you?"

"Fuck!" A little bit of stew had splashed up and gotten on Shane's arms. "Do you even realize how hot that is, Tess? Mitchie are you okay? It got all over your arms."

Tears were now streaming down Mitchie's face, despite her desperate desire to not let the campers see her cry. She just couldn't help it – the pain was too much. Her entire arm felt like it was on fire.

"Come on, girl, let's get that under cold water," Shane said as he ushered her to the kitchen.

Mitchie hopped up on the counter next to the industrial sized sink that they used to wash the pots and pans. She instantly stuck her entire arm under the cold spray, not caring about the tshirt she had on.

"Shit," Mitchie cursed as she wiped her tears away with her free hand. "Why are we serving stew that hot? How can anybody eat it?"

Shane laughed at her as he rolled up the sleeves of her t-shirt tenderly. He stretched out the hose to the sink and turned the spray on gentle and let the water sluice over her outstretched arm.

"Ouch. This looks sort of bad, Mitch. It might blister." The skin on her arm was an angry red with some patches darker than others.

"Nooo," Mitchie groaned. "Can it not? Please?"

"Mitchie, what on earth happened to you?" Connie Torres had just come in with a box of napkins from the storage room.

"A camper dumped stew on her," Shane quickly responded before Mitchie could sugar-coat the truth. She glared at him fiercely.

"Oh, no, that's terrible! I'm sure it was just an accident, though. Mitchie's always getting in people's way," Connie said with a smile on her face. "Put some ice on that and maybe some Neosporin, okay baby?"

As Connie walked away, Mitchie turned to Shane.

"Next time, let me do the talking, okay?" She snapped. Shane actually looked a little taken aback. She softened her tone before continuing. "Listen, it's just…she sees what she wants to see, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay? That's it? You're not going to fight me on this?"

"I've fought with you enough the past two days, thanks," he retorted. "Let's go get some Neosporin girl, okay?"

"Girl?" Mitchie questioned as she hopped down from the sink.

"Are you not one?" Shane didn't actually have a reason for calling her 'girl.' It sort of came out as an endearment, but one he could play off. It's not as if he was calling her 'babe' or 'baby,' although he could only imagine the cute blush that would spread over her cheeks if he were to…

"Shane?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you had some First Aid at your cabin? I'm not really in the mood to go to the nurse."

"Oh, yeah, sure." He shook his head to clear it. He didn't come here to fall for some girl, no matter how charming and cute she was. "Let's go."

* * *

"Sorry guys, not this week," Mitchie broke the news Saturday morning. She had spent the week milking her burns for all they were worth with her friends. Only Shane and Caitlyn knew that she wouldn't be performing at Beach Jam, burns or no burns. "Yeah, I just can't play my guitar. Even piano hurts."

Mitchie flashed her right hand to the group eating breakfast with her. Lola, Sander, Barron and Andy looked at her with sympathy, while Caitlyn just gave a discrete eye roll, but remained silent. This was the first breakfast in a while without the Connect 3 boys, as they were getting ready for the Jam already. Beach Jam was held while it was still light out, starting at around 3 p.m.

The truth was, Mitchie's right hand _was_ burnt, and it did hurt quite a bit to play guitar, but she could've played a number of songs on piano, or even just sang with a backing track on Caitlyn's laptop. Playing the piano didn't hurt at all; in fact, the cool ivory keys almost felt good on the burns, but still. She really didn't feel like dealing with the drama of another Jam, and if a little white lie was all it took to get her friends off her back, she was more than willing to make that choice.

"So you're _definitely_ not playing today?"

"Geez, Lola," Caitlyn speared a mouthful of fruit salad. "You have been so hung up on what Mitchie is doing for this Jam. What's your deal?"

"No deal," she said defensively. "I just don't think it's fair that the entire camp didn't get to hear her on Monday. You definitely need to perform more," she told Mitchie sincerely.

"Well, maybe next weekend. We'll see. It _is_ Friends and Family Weekend though, so I'm not sure how comfortable I'll be with all those people. But we'll see."

"Well, I personally can't wait to see what Tess and her lemmings have chosen to perform for us," Barron cut in. "They've been practicing in their cabin for days! Every time I walk by I swear my I.Q. goes down."

"That good, huh?" Mitchie joked.

"I heard her trying to ask Shane for extra dance lessons," Andy confided in the group. "He turned her down flat. Said that if she wanted to dance better, she should focus more in class."

"Oh, but then she'd have to stop trying to ruin Mitchie's life," Caitlyn pointed out.

"And where would the fun be in that?" Mitchie muttered. Although camp had definitely gotten better for her, it was still as tension filled as it could be when it came to her, Kylie and Tess. During a brief workout in dance class the day before, Tess somehow managed to convince the person holding her feet as she did sit-ups to tie her shoelaces together. Mitchie knew the bruises would be coming in dark and fast today – she had taken _quite_ the fall.

"On that completely not-uplifting note," Caitlyn began as she got up and tugged Mitchie to a standing position, "we are going to go harass the boys. We'll see you guys later!"

They found Nate, Jason and Shane in their cabin, all in various states of undress.

"Aren't you supposed to be wearing a shirt?" Mitchie teased as her and Caitlyn walked in.

"Aren't you supposed to knock?" Shane teased right back, although not making a move to put on his shirt (and Mitchie didn't mind in the least).

"Aaaah!" Jason yelped as he saw the two girls. His hands instantly went up to cover his bare chest.

"Jase, it's okay!" Caitlyn laughed as she sat on Nate's bed (he had called hello from the bathroom upon their entrance). "We've seen you without a shirt before."

"You _have_?"

"You were down at the lake the other day, weren't you?"

"You _saw_ me?"

Caitlyn and Mitchie shared a bewildered look.

"Um, yes?" Mitchie was almost worried. "Jason, we waved to you!"

"Oh…oh, right." He slowly let down his arms. "I guess its okay then…just don't tell anyone."

Caitlyn dissolved into laughter while Mitchie somehow maintained a straight face. "Your secret is safe with us."

Jason nodded happily and disappeared into the bathroom with Nate.

"So what are you guys up to?" Mitchie flopped down onto Shane's bed.

"Trying to find something to wear." Shane gave her and Cait incredulous looks. "No, it's fine, please make yourself at home."

"Happily!" Cait smiled brightly before turning to Mitchie. "Can I just be the first to say that I'm sort of glad you're not performing today?"

"_What?_" Jason, Nate and Shane all turned to Caitlyn, while Mitchie just smiled silently at the boys.

"What do you _mean_ you're happy she's not performing? I think it sucks," Shane said honestly.

"Yeah, Mitchie, I wanted to hear you sing again," Jason whined.

"I think Mitchie needs a break. And no offense, because while Tess Tyler is bad, Kylie is worse. I don't even want to think about what Kylie would try to pull this afternoon. Compared to Kylie, Tess is…I don't even know. She's just not _that_ evil."

"She's semi-evil," Jason said with a grin.

"Quasi-evil," Shane augmented.

"She's the margarine of evil," Jason quoted back.

"She's the Diet Coke of evil," Caitlyn cut in, laughing.

"_Just one calorie, not evil enough!_" Caitlyn, Shane, Jason and even Mitchie all quoted together with Nate just looking at them plaintively.

"No? No sense of humor today?" Shane asked him after he was done laughing.

"Austin Powers came out like, 12 years ago."

"Okay, that was from Austin Powers _Two _and that came out like, 10 years ago. But the classics never die, man."

"Austin Powers is not a 'classic,' Shane." Nate cast him a disparaging look. "Have you seen my blue plaid button-up?"

"Closet? With the rest of the clothes?"

"Like your shirt that you haven't put on yet?"

Shane didn't really blush, but Mitchie saw the tips of his ears turn red. Unfortunately for her, it just made him more endearing – would the injustices of the world never cease?

The girls decided to hang around while the guys finished getting ready. Caitlyn was currently in the bathroom, straightening Jason's hair for him, while Nate hovered around them, still slightly nervous about Caitlyn's newfound love of Jason.

"So." Mitchie turned to the sound of Shane's voice as he sat down next to her, looking delicious in a pair of tight black jeans and a white v-neck.

"So." She smiled widely at him. "I'm excited to hear this new song of yours. Is it anything like your other stuff?"

"Kind of…not really. Some of our older stuff, maybe. It's…well, we'll see what it is, I guess. I'm sort of nervous to see how people take it."

"I'm sure it'll be great," she reassured him.

"You know, you might recognize some of the words."

"Hmm? How?"

"You sort of…inspired me."

"I inspired who now?" She thought she must've misunderstood him. After all, Shane Gray didn't _need_ inspiration, least of all from a girl like her.

"The song. You'll know it when you hear it, how's that?"

"Not very comforting."

"And yet you're sure it'll be great?" A playful smirk crossed Shane's face.

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

"Boys, could you please stop flirting and come set up over here?" Brown called to Nate, Jason and Shane, who were lingering in front of the stage with Mitchie and Caitlyn.

"We're not flirting!" Nate and Shane called out indignantly.

"I was flirting!" Jason called back happily, earning a bark of laughter from Brown.

"Okay so we were a little-"

"Yeah, maybe just a little but nothing too-"

"_Boys_!" Brown shouted again.

"Right." All three said together, sounding as if they had been through this same routine many times before.

"Go," Caitlyn gave Nate a shove. "We'll be in the front row, promise."

They made themselves comfortable in the grass while preparations went on all around them. Connect 3 would be going on last, but they were the most familiar with the sound equipment so they had somehow been wrangled into setting it up.

Finally, about 45 minutes later (and one swift kick to the back followed by a very insincere, "sorry! Didn't see you there!" to Mitchie from one of Kylie's followers), the Jam was ready to begin.

Caitlyn wasn't really 'performing' that day either, although she was credited for doing the backing track for Lola, Barron and Sander's performance of the song they had finished on Monday – "Don't Mess With My Man."

Mostly, people that Mitchie didn't really deal with a lot performed. She clapped for everyone (which was more than could be said for Caitlyn, who scowled at those who she didn't like) and she actually enjoyed herself. She was definitely glad she had chosen not to perform today. Tess had done an original song entitled 'Too Cool' and Mitchie can actually say she couldn't believe the lyrics.

"Are you really surprised?" Caitlyn had murmured. "Pick up your jaw."

Kylie was the last to perform before Connect 3, also performing an original, 'If I Could Have You Back.'

"Oh, my god, those lyrics," Caitlyn said into Mitchie ear as Kylie left the stage. "I think she just ripped a page out from her diary and put them to a tune. The lack of emotion was almost impressive, when you think about it. 'If I could have you back again, I'd think about it once or twice, I guess. If I could have you back, I'd reconsider, maybe I'd say yes'?" Mitchie had to snicker at that. The lyrics did leave a lot to desire.

"At least the boys don't have a tough act to follow," Mitchie pointed out. "At all."

"How're you all doing today?"

Connect 3 had taken the stage and instantly the Beach Jam was converted to a legitimate concert. It was still a treat for them to see Connect 3 actually perform their songs, and everyone got to their feet as Shane took the mic.

"We have a brand new song for you all to hear today," he continued. "I hope you all like it!"

Cue the screaming girls.

A drum beat started from the band that was on a smaller stage to the left of the stage and Shane grabbed the mic stand and tossed a wink to Mitchie.

"_Turn on that radio_

_As loud as it can go_

_Wanna dance until my feet can't feel the ground_

_Say goodbye to all my fears_

_One good song, they disappear_

_And nothing in the world can bring me down."_

Nate took over next and Mitchie and Caitlyn couldn't help but to do everything he sang.

"_Hand clappin',_

_Hip shakin',_

_Heart breakin',_

_There's no fakin'_

_What you feel_

_When you're riding home, yeah."_

Chaos erupted as all three boys took to the mics and belted out the chorus. Mitchie couldn't really take her eyes off of Shane, but she knew the other two boys were rocking it good and well. The song definitely spoke to Mitchie, although she couldn't hear anything really _familiar_ about it.

"_Music's in my soul_

_I can hear it_

_Everyday and every night_

_It's the one thing on my mind_

_Music's got control_

_And I'm never letting go, no, no_

_I just wanna play my music._

"_Got my six string on my back_

_Don't need anything but that_

_Everything I want is here with me_

_So forget that fancy car_

_I don't need to go that far_

_What's driving me is following my dreams, yeah."_

Mitchie raised her eyebrows at Shane as she danced to the music. So suddenly jerk Shane was gone and this new Shane didn't need anything fancy? She made a mental note to tease him about that afterwards, but she relaxed and let Nate's voice flow over her as Shane rocked along onstage.

"_Hand clappin',_

_Earth shakin',_

_Heart breakin',_

_There's no fakin'_

_What you feel_

_When you're on a roll, yeah_

_Music's in my soul_

_I can hear it_

_Everyday and every night_

_It's the one thing on my mind_

_Music's got control_

_And I'm never letting go, no, no_

_I just wanna play my music_

_I just wanna play my music."_

Shane locked eyes with Mitchie as Nate sang a line.

"_Can't imagine what it'd be like…"_

His eyes never left hers as he felt a smile cross his face, singing passionately into the microphone.

"_Without the sounds of all my heroes_

_Singing all my favorite songs_

_So I can sing along!"_

Her jaw dropped again. She laughed aloud, shaking her head at the Popstar, but clapping along to the beat.

"_Music's in my soul_

_I can hear it_

_Everyday and every night_

_It's the one thing on my mind!_

_Music's got control_

_And I'm never letting go, no, no_

_I just wanna play my music_

_Music's in my soul_

_I can hear it_

_Everyday and every night_

_It's the one thing on my mind_

_Music's got control_

_And I'm never letting go, no, o_

_I just wanna play my music_

_All night long_

_Yeah!"_

The applause was almost deafening as it bounced back off of every tree in the vicinity, the campers giving their approval. Mitchie and Caitlyn had to laugh at the look of shock that was actually on Nate and Shane's face (Jason just looked elated). They were _actually worried_ that people wouldn't like it!

After things had calmed down minutely, the girls rushed the boys who were thanking some of the campers and signing things for the younger ones (and some of the older ones, of course).

"Amazing!" Mitchie squealed, launching herself at Jason first. He caught her easily and spun her sound.

"Thanks, Mitchie! That was a fun one to sing. We should do that one more often, Shane!"

"And you!" Mitchie now launched herself at Shane, although choosing to slug him in the arm before giving him a tight hug.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For making me all nervous about the song! It was so great, by the way. So, so, so great."

"Just like you knew it would be!"

"Gosh, I can't believe you remembered that conversation we had. What a random thing to remember!"

"Hey, it spoke to me, okay? Besides, I remember everything about you."

"As you should!" She retorted cockily instead of swooning like she wanted to, so desperately. She quickly caught sight of Nate behind Shane and tackled him into a hug as soon as Caitlyn released him.

"Whoa! What is with you two and giving hugs of doom?" Nate joked as Mitchie released him. "Caity almost just took me out!"

"I was enthusiastic is all," Caitlyn defended. Before anything else could be said, a familiar voice cut in, unwelcomed by all.

"Shaney!" Shane grit his teeth as they turned to the female calling him that atrocious nickname.

"It's Shane, Kylie. And what do you want?"

"Whoa, no need to go all 'jerk' on me."

He let out a loud sigh. "I'm sorry. What can I help you with?" He had to at least try to make an effort to be nice to the campers, at least for Brown's sake.

"I just wanted to tell you how great I thought your song was. Magnificent." Caitlyn mouthed 'magnificent?' to Mitchie, drawing a smile out of her. She was more than a little uncomfortable with being that close to a fake-nice Kylie Stiles.

"Well, thanks. I'm glad you liked it."

"Hate to say it, but I think you put on a better show here than the last time we saw you."

Mitchie's eyes widened. She hoped to everything that was right and good in the world that Kylie Stiles was not about to ruin her life.

"Beatles Jam?" Jason questioned.

"No," Kylie snapped at him, making him actually take a step back. She adopted her nice tone before continuing. "I mean when you guys played at my high school at End of the Year Chaos."

Caitlyn's eyes were now bulging as she realized the path that Kylie was going down. She shot a worried glance at Mitchie, but her eyes were trained on the girl in front of her.

"Of course, some things are different from now and then." Kylie was now staring at Mitchie. "I mean, things do change. For instance, Mitchie, you didn't look like that, did you?"

She felt something cold start to drip down on her head. _Not again_.

She was grateful it didn't seem to be a full cup, but it was still a cup of soda nonetheless. Poured on her. From behind. Everyone gasped.

"Much better," Kylie smirked.

Mitchie whipped around to see a boy cracking up as he walked away, high-fiving his friends. She wanted to cry out to him, but she had no idea what she would say. She could practically feel her life crumbling around her. She wiped the soda from her face and rung out her hair, letting it stay in a sticky mass hanging down her back as she looked back to Kylie.

"And now everything is _just_ like it was that night." She looked Mitchie up and down with disgust. "What did we tell you? You were a nobody then and you're a nobody now, Mitchie Torres. Stop pretending."

Silence. Everywhere. Caitlyn, who wanted nothing more than to tear Kylie a new one, remained silent as she watched Mitchie slowly force her eyes to Shane Gray's face.

"That was you?" He questioned softly.

"Oh, this is rich!" Kylie cackled. "He didn't _know_ that was you? Honey, she's just as hated here as she is at home. I told you after Chaos that she was a nobody, it's about time you believed me."

Mitchie knew that Shane wasn't actually listening to a word Kylie said. Instead, he was staring at her with the worst expression she had ever seen on anyone's face before. He looked so _hurt_, so _betrayed_ that she actually took a step towards him before realizing that she couldn't wipe that off his face…she was the one that put it there.

"Shane…"

"You _lied_ to me. To my face." His voice was growing steadily louder as he got more and more upset. "You had _so_ many opportunities to tell me! And you didn't! I don't even know who you are anymore." He ran a hand down his face. "All this to get to me, huh? Well, you got your wish. You got to me, happy? God, how much of _anything_ you told me was the truth? You lied _to my face, Mitchie!_ Who knows what else you're capable of."

She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off instantly.

"Don't. I don't want to hear _anything_ from you. You…you really _are_ a nobody, Mitchie Torres."

He turned on his heel and walked away and left a distraught Mitchie in his wake. Instantly, Caitlyn was by her side, ushering her away.

"No, you're not crying. Not here, you don't."

* * *

**What did you think? As for the song Kylie Stiles sang – it's a song by Aly & AJ aaaand I don't want anyone to think I'm a hater. I love them. But that song's lyrics are just absurd. Download the song from my twitter if you'd so like to! (You'll laugh. Trust me.)**


	19. Let Go

**Author's Note: DO. NOT. HATE. ME. I'm so sorry this took so long to get out! I got a promotion at work and things have been CRAAAAZY. I work a full-time, 7-5 job, and then I take classes 6-10pm to get my Bachelor's. Life sometimes gets in the way and I'm super sorry you all had to wait for this. I hope you like it! I love all of yous!**

* * *

Caitlyn got about ten feet away with Mitchie before Mitchie stopped. She could still see Shane's retreating back.

"Not here, Mitchie," Cait said softly.

"No. Right here." Mitchie wiped the few stray tears that had fallen down her face and raced after Shane. "Shane!"

He whipped around, disgust evident on his face.

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear." He shook his head at her. "When you find out who you fucking are, come find me."

"You're not even going to listen to me?" They were maybe ten yards away from the crowd of campers that were now watching the Mitchie and Shane show avidly.

"_No_. I'm not. This is ridiculous." He turned to storm away.

"You're right, this is ridiculous! Fuck you, Shane." Shane turned around on his heel.

"What did you just say to me?" His voice was dangerously low as he stalked back up to her, stopping only a few feet away from her.

"Fuck. You. Did you ever think that maybe this wasn't all about you? That maybe I didn't tell you for my _own_ reasons?" Shane just stood there, glaring. "You can keep thinking that I did this to 'get to you' but for Christ's sake, I didn't do it to _impress_ you! I did it _to protect me_."

Tears were streaming down her face now, hard and fast, but she ignored them as she continued to yell at Shane.

"Maybe I didn't want to look at you and be reminded constantly of how pathetic my life is. Maybe I didn't want to look at you and always be questioning whether you were my friend out of _pity_. I almost told you last week, but all you could talk about was how _sorry_ you felt for that _poor girl _that had soda dumped on her. I don't want your pity. I never wanted _anything_ from you except your friendship. I came here hoping for a break from my own life, and what I got was _this!_" She gestured to her wet hair hanging limply on her back, soaking into her shirt. "I just wanted to keep those two things separate and don't you _dare_ blame me for that. And I am SORRY I never told you, but I never lied about _anything_."

Shane's eyes had softened during Mitchie's tirade. He was still mad, but he was actually finding himself starting to understand.

"Mitchie…" He took a step forward, but she held up her hand to stop him, looking down at the ground. She finally met his eyes, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"I'm a nobody, Shane. But I finally felt like a somebody with you, and I didn't want anything to change that. I'm sorry, but…this had everything to do with me and nothing to do with you."

Before Shane could utter another word, Mitchie had whirled around and ran in the other direction, followed quickly by a scurrying Caitlyn. As she disappeared from view, Shane turned in a fit of frustration and punched the closest thing to him.

"Fuck!" He yelled as his fist collided with the siding of a storage shed.

Suddenly, Jason and Nate were at his side, ushering him the opposite way he was headed and in the same direction that Mitchie had been.

"I don't want to talk to her," he told them vehemently, which wasn't completely true. He wanted to talk to her desperately, but he had no idea what he would say to her if put in the situation to communicate.

"Well, we're not going to talk to her," Nate muttered as he practically dragged Shane away. "Our cabins are across from each other, in case you don't remember. And we need to take care of your fucking hand."

Shane looked down. Blood was trickling steadfastly from various cuts on his knuckles, practically coating his hand.

"I'm not looking I'm not looking I'm not looking," Jason was repeating aloud as he stared straight ahead while walking next to them. He had quite the aversion to blood.

"This is such a fucking mess," Shane moaned.

"You can say that again."

"He said that this is a fucking mess, Nate," Jason reiterated.

"Thank you, Jason. Get in." Nate had to give Shane a shove to get him to walk up the stairs to their cabin – his attention was currently focused on the cabin just a little ways from theirs, and the sobbing that they could hear coming from it.

Shane went into the cabin and went straight to the bathroom with Nate on his heels and Jason lingering at the door, staring into space and _not_ at the blood that was all over his hand.

He washed his hand as best as he could, wincing at the sting of the cold water in his wounds. None were very deep and he didn't think he broke anything, but it still hurt like a bitch.

"Sit." Nate pushed him onto the toilet and Jason finally stepped fully into the bathroom. Nate got out the first-aid kit from under the sink and started rummaging through it. "Talk."

"There's nothing to say."

"Okay, well, I'm confused," Jason spoke up after the room was silent for a few moments. "So, Mitchie was the girl that got soda dumped on her at that high school we performed at?"

Shane nodded. "And she never told me."

"That sucks," Jason commented.

"I know. I can't believe her."

"Oh, not for you," Jason rolled his eyes. "You're being a drama queen. I mean it sucks for her."

"_What_?" Shane clenched his fist, causing him to hiss in pain as his wounds stretched. Nate just rolled his eyes, hitting him in the back of the head and starting to wipe his cuts with hydrogen peroxide. Shane turned to Nate. "Why are you even doing this?"

"Because you won't and then it'll get infected and then we'll have to amputate your hand and then, let's face it, we won't be Connect 3 anymore. No one likes a pop band with a lead singer with only one hand," he explained rationally.

Shane shook his head and turned back to Jason. "And what do you mean _I'm_ being a drama queen?"

"I mean, of the two people that ran away tonight, only one had a reason to." Jason's voice was oddly calm and still had a trace of perky in it. It was as if he was explaining that the sky was blue and the grass was green.

"Why the _hell_ did Mitchie have to run away?"

Nate answered as he wrapped Shane's hand up roughly with annoyance. "She just was humiliated in front of the entire camp, _Shane_."

"Ow! Gentle, ok? And it wasn't that embarrassing."

"She had a cup of soda dumped on her head. And then Shane Gray yelled at her in front of everyone. I'd say that's pretty embarrassing. And you're mad because…?"

"She lied to me. To my face. I _talked_ to her at that high school, and she never told me. She just wanted to impress me."

Jason laughed out loud at the naivety of his bandmate.

"Oh, come on. We're famous, Shane, but we're not _that_ famous."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that Mitchie's a girl! She didn't not tell you because you're Shane Gray, she didn't tell you because you're a teenage guy! What girl would just admit that to someone? 'Oh hey, we met before, but I was covered in soda and getting laughed at by everyone. It was so great, wasn't it?'" Jason did the worst imitation of a girl's voice possible.

"What, and suddenly you're an expert on teenage girls?" All Shane got in response to that was the tightening of the bandage Nate was still wrapping around his hand.

"I'm just sayin'!" Jason held up his hands in defense. "I mean yeah, she should've told you, but I understand why she didn't. And in my opinion, she should be mad at you, not the other way around."

"How do you know she's not?" Shane tried to put on a cocky face, but inside he was starting to crumble. "How do you know she's not in her cabin, planning on ways to kill me?"

"Have you _met_ Mitchie?" Jason rolled his eyes at Shane. "She would blame herself for the Cold War if she was alive back then. There's no way she's mad at you."

"I know her better than you," Shane couldn't help but mutter. Jason was right though, of course. Mitchie wasn't going to be mad at him, no matter what. She would just feel guilty. Shane was beginning to see that _maybe_ he didn't act as civilized as he had hoped…he could've actually given Mitchie the chance to explain, instead of just blowing up. But he was so mad he wasn't thinking straight.

"Done," Nate pronounced, dropping Shane's hand back into his lap. Shane flexed his fingers and only winced a little, to his credit. Nothing a few Tylenol wouldn't fix.

"I wrote her a song," Shane said quietly after a few minutes of silence.

"Mitchie?" Jason asked, surprised. He hadn't known that Shane felt that way about her.

"No. Well, yes. But not really. I wrote a song after talking to that girl in the high school, who just happens to be Mitchie."

"So you wrote a song for Mitchie," Nate smirked.

"No!" Shane reached over and grabbed a nearby acoustic guitar. "_You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing,_" he strummed gently with his injured hand, singing along softly. "_I need to find you, I gotta find you. You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me, I need to find you…I gotta…_" he trailed off, unsure of everything.

"Wow." Nate and Jason chorused.

"I'm so stupid. I was wondering why her voice sounded so familiar; it was because I had _heard it before_."

"Shane, that's a _great_ song. You can finish it and we can put it on our new album," Nate mused pragmatically.

"Well, for one – it _is_ finished. And two, I'm not sure if I want it on the album. It's…personal. I don't know. It's complicated."

"It's about Mitchie?" Jason supplemented.

"Everything's just a mess now." Shane flopped onto his bed, closing his eyes tightly. "A fucking mess."

* * *

"Everything's a mess," Mitchie managed to get out between sobs.

Mitchie was currently lying on her bed, gripping her pillow tightly to her chest, trying to muffle her cries. Caitlyn sat at the foot of her bed, trying to gauge what would be the best course of action.

"It's not a mess, Mitchie…it'll all work out, you'll see," she tried.

"How can this work out? He _hates_ me!"

"Well we can work it out, but you're going to need to calm down."

Mitchie tried desperately to staunch the flow of tears and regulate her breathing. It was coming in short gasps, heaving her chest violently. She hadn't cried this hard in a long time.

"You knew you were going to have to tell him sometime," Cait tried to soothe her once her breathing had calmed. "It sucks that it was like that, though."

"I can't believe that happened," Mitchie moaned. She pulled herself into an upright position, sitting Indian style and still holding the pillow tight. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and froze. "Ew. Ew ew ew."

Her hair, sticky from the soda, had formed one coagulated mass on her back. She was actually scared to try and brush through it, but she knew she had better do it sooner rather than later.

"I'm going to take a shower," she told Caitlyn softly, the occasional tear still escaping her eyes.

"Okay…I'll be here when you get out."

"Cait, you don't have to…"

A cocked eyebrow was all the response she needed. "I'll be here when you get out," Caitlyn reiterated. Mitchie sighed but made her way into the bathroom. Instantly, Caitlyn whipped out her cell phone and started texting.

* * *

_To: Nate_

_From: Caitlyn_

_Come outside and talk to me!_

_

* * *

_

She made her way out of Mitchie's cabin quietly, although she heard the shower as well as Mitchie's crying, so she felt as if she was safe. She leaned against the railing of the stairs, waiting to see Nate appear from the cabin down the path. As soon as she saw both him and Jason come out – sans Shane – she made her way towards them, meeting in the middle.

"How is she?" Nate asked cautiously.

"She's…a mess, as can be expected. I feel terrible."

"Shane's trying to hold it together but who knows what's really going through his mind. He's lucky his hand isn't broken."

"Huh?"

"He punched a building after Mitchie booked it," Jason explained. "We should really go check on that building." Two pairs of incredulous eyes met his. "After we check on Mitchie, of course!"

"Well, she's showering now, to get that foul stuff out of her hair. Who was that kid that dumped it on her, anyway?"

The boys shrugged. "He's in my Advanced Guitar class but I've never seen him talk to Mitchie or anything."

"Did Brown see anything?" Caitlyn asked eagerly. She thought that maybe if Brown had saw something then Kylie could just get kicked out of camp and this whole mess would be done with.

"No," Nate sounded just as pissed off at this as Caitlyn now looked. "They always get someone to distract him and lead him away so that he doesn't actually _see_ the evil taking place."

"Poor Mitchie," Jason murmured. The girl had quickly wormed her way into his heart and had made herself at home. He felt a fondness he hadn't felt for anyone in a long time, and it pained him to have to see her deal with such petty drama.

"I know, right?" Caitlyn sighed. For once in her life, she had no idea how to go about fixing things. She figured that things weren't going to get better instantly, but still. "Listen, let me go leave a note for Mitchie and let's go grab some dinner. I don't think she'll be feeling up to company, but I'll bring her some stuff back."

The boys nodded but Nate grabbed her arm before she could go.

"And maybe clear some things up for us? I feel like some of the puzzle pieces are missing in this whole story."

"I'll tell you what I know." It was the best she could do.

They ate dinner in silence, mostly. They were among the later ones that appeared in the mess hall, so they lingered over their lasagna until the tables around them weren't so crowded.

Caitlyn told them all she knew about Mitchie's high school situation, including Joey. When she was finished, both Nate and Jason's mouths were hanging open.

"So he just ruined her whole life just because she didn't want to date him anymore?" Nate was shocked. "That's so…so…so…"

"Mean!" Jason supplemented.

"Among other things, but yes, mean. What kind of guy does that?"

"I guess he's just real focused on Mitchie; she had to change her cell number and she went through three lockers due to someone taking a crowbar to hers to try and get her stuff out."

"What a creep," Nate muttered.

"Tell me about it. And I mean, Mitchie's sort of all closed off about it, so who knows if that's all there is to that story. But that's all I know so far, and _that's_ why Kylie hates her and that's why all this drama started."

"Why didn't she just get back with him after he started being mean?" Jason asked innocently.

"She's stronger than I am, apparently. I guess he's super controlling and didn't let her do much of anything. She said, and I quote, that she 'didn't know who she was with him,'" Caitlyn told them with a shrug. "She didn't want to go back to that, I guess. …Do you think Shane will apologize to her?"

"I don't know what Shane's thinking," Jason said honesty. "I can't read his mind, but I've been trying _really_ hard."

Nate and Caitlyn shared an amused look before disregarding Jason's slightly off-color statement.

"What about you? Can you read his mind?" Cait teased, and Nate actually looked a little ashamed.

"Well, right about now I'm gonna say that he's in a bit of pain."

"What did you do?" Jason looked horrified while Caitlyn looked a little excited.

"I might've switched the alcohol and hydrogen peroxide bottles and told him to use the alcohol to disinfect his cuts." Jason's jaw dropped and Caitlyn started cracking up. "Don't give me that look, Jase! Mitchie's my friend too and he's acting like a dick. He shouldn't have punched that building anyway."

"You are my new best friend, Nate Black," Caitlyn said with a grin as they stood to dispose of their trays, as kitchen staff were starting to mull around and pick up the mess hall. The three strode out still laughing. "You are officially awesome."

* * *

Mitchie only left her cabin the next day to help out in the kitchen. Caitlyn accompanied her but understood and obeyed her wishes to not talk about the entire Shane situation for a few hours.

"What are you going to do tomorrow?" Caitlyn asked Sunday night as they relaxed in Mitchie's cabin.

"Who needs dance anyway?" Mitchie mumbled.

"You can't ditch! Who will I dance with?"

"Um, yourself? Like always?"

"Well, who will I _talk_ with?"

"There's like twenty other kids in the class!"

"But _you're my_ best friend!" Caitlyn whined, hoping to elicit a laugh or at least a full blown smile from Mitchie. Instead, any traces of a smile were wiped off her face completely as she looked at Cait. "What'd I do?" She asked concernedly.

"You really mean that?" Mitchie's eyes filled up with tears for what she felt had to be the billionth time that weekend.

"Mean what…?"

"I'm your best friend?"

"Of course you are!" Caitlyn climbed from the bed and sat on the floor next to Mitchie, who was leaning against said bed. "Who else would it be?"

"I just mean, you have friends and home and we haven't known each other that long and…" she trailed off only to look up surprised when Caitlyn started to laugh.

"Mitchie, I am currently getting privately tutored while I stay at my grandmothers, and before that I was locked away in an all-girls boarding school in upstate New York. You really think I'm close with any of the other girls that go there? Besides, it doesn't matter how long we've known each other – I still consider you my best friend. Who else would I tell that I still sleep my teddy bear, huh?" She nudged Mitchie's shoulder. "Who else?" That did finally get a laugh out of Mitchie, who looked to the girl beside her, extremely grateful.

"You're my best friend, too Cait. And not just because no one else will be," she finished with a knowing smirk, as that's what Caitlyn would always kid about. "You have put up with so much of my bullshit this summer and I really don't know what I'd do without you."

"You know," Caitlyn began with trepidation, growing serious. "I feel like you don't tell me half the shit you go through." She held her hands up defensively as Mitchie opened her mouth to speak. "It's okay! I'm just saying. Whenever you feel ready to talk about everything…I'm here."

Mitchie mulled that over in her mind for a few moments.

"I haven't had anyone to talk to at all these past few months," she finally said quietly. "I'm not used it, I don't think. Even before, I never told any of my friends that I was really passionate about music, and there were so many girl topics that I could never breach with Joey. And, of course, I could never talk about Joey _to_ Joey. I just…I get nervous, I guess. I don't want to wake up and find out this is all a dream. I'm not used to having someone here to talk to, but…I'll try. I promise."

"That's all I can ask. Well, that, and I can ask you to please come to dance class tomorrow."

"I make no promises, but…I'll try."

Caitlyn promptly tackled her to the floor in a hug.


	20. Ain't Too Proud To Beg

**Author's Note: Yikes, it's been a while. And I apologize for the pace of this story; I totally understand if it's too slow for a lot of people. This chapter alone is just one day, and it's not even done! You get some more Shane/Mitchie interaction and a little bit of insight into everyone's minds. Fun fact (ok, it's just a regular fact): My boyfriend and I fight exactly like this. One of us will do something wrong, one will get upset and then it somehow deteriorates to us both apologizing and getting sappy. It's ridiculous.**

**Quiiiiiick note – I apologize if I mortally offended anyone with having the eff word sprinkled liberally throughout the last chapter when it was still rated T, not M. So it's been boosted to M. So, hypothetically, if you had sent me a really rude private message about how moronic I am, you should teeeeechnically be happy now. Right? (Answer: no. You're probably never happy. I bet you don't even like sunshine and puppies.) I genuinely thought this story was M, but alas, it was not. **

**No songs in the song, but we're getting to the good stuff soon, I promise! And to the reviewer who had asked what song Mitchie was singing in the auditorium in the beginning of the song….you find out really soon, I promise!**

**Ok ok ok, here! Read!**

**

* * *

**

"What are they saying?" Mitchie demanded as she slammed her tray down at breakfast. Her and Caitlyn had just finished helping out for the morning and were now joining Lola, Sander, Barron and Andy to eat. The Connect 3 boys were nowhere to be seen, which wasn't a surprise to Mitchie, despite Caitlyn reassuring her that Jason and Nate weren't mad at her.

Mitchie knew the moment that she woke up that today was going to suck. So far, it had done nothing but. It was as if the entire past week when people had actually been nice to her had never happened. People were going out of their way to shoot her dirty glances and shove her, not to mention the incessant whispering that occurred anytime she walked by a table.

"The girls are mad," Lola said hesitantly.

"What girls? All the girls?" Lola shrugged one shoulder. "You can't be serious!" Mitchie exclaimed. "_All_ the girls at camp hate me? Why? What did I do to them?"

"Not to them, Mitchie…to Shane." Mitchie closed her eyes to try and rein in her temper. Barron, Sander and Andy suddenly found something very interesting in a table all the way across the room and bid their goodbyes, not wanting to get in the middle of any catfights. "The girls are all upset that you hurt Shane," Lola continued. "They're mad that you lied to him."

"I. Didn't. Lie." Mitchie gritted out.

"I know that and you know that," Caitlyn hurried to say, "but they don't know that. And with the way Shane left the other day, you can tell that he was hurt…"

"Yeah, I noticed that," Mitchie snapped out.

"Whoa, calm down there. I was just saying…"

"I'm sorry," she mumbled back, resting her head in her hands. "It's just today, is all. Trust the Shane fangirls to get all defensive for their fearless leader. Ugh. I'm going to go get some juice," she decided suddenly. She was feeling ready for a fight today and she was practically daring someone to say something to her as she walked past tables.

On her way back to the table in the center of the room where Lola and Caitlyn were currently in deep conversation, a girl stepped in front of Mitchie. She recognized the girl as one of the ones who had apologized to her a week before after her impromptu mess hall concert.

"Yes?" She said as politely as she could muster. This girl had actually been nice to her and she was trying her hardest to be nice back. However, the girl didn't actually say anything. Instead, a cold glass of milk was thrown in her face. All she could do was stand there, spluttering.

"That's for Shane!" The girl cried indignantly, sounding close to tears herself.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" It took all of Mitchie's energy to not raise her voice as she stood dripping in the aisle. Instantly, Caitlyn was by her side, shoving her bag into her hands. The girl went to speak again but Caitlyn got into her face before she could.

"Sit down and shut the fuck up and pray to god that my friend is a better person than I am because I am two seconds away from having Brown kick your ass out of this camp," Caitlyn threatened quietly, her eyes narrowed at the girl. The nameless girl scoffed, but did sit down, high fiving all of her friends.

Mitchie took off at a brisk walk out of the now guffawing cafeteria, Caitlyn hot on her heels. Once they got out of the mess hall, she turned to Caitlyn, trying to force her tears back.

"Tell Nate that I'll be late to first period."

Caitlyn looked beyond Mitchie's shoulder. "Not sure I'm going to have to…"

Mitchie followed her eyes and saw the three boys walking towards them, talking amongst themselves.

"I…I can't," she said hurriedly to Cait before rushing away, keeping her eyes down and her feet moving fast as she ran past the guys.

"Hey Mitchie, what's…wrong?" Jason finished to himself, as Mitchie didn't spare them a glance. Caitlyn walked over to them with worry written all over her face, before anger overtook it as she focused on Shane.

"You better fix this and _soon_," she said darkly.

"What happened?" Shane asked concernedly.

"Your fan club seems to be under the impression that Mitchie broke your heart. They're punishing her as such."

"What do you mean?" Nate asked.

"I mean that a girl just threw her milk at Mitchie's face in the name of _Shane's_ broken heart. So you," she shoved Shane's shoulder roughly, "better figure out what you're going to do and fast. I get that you're pissed but she does _not_ deserve this."

"Oh, God," Shane rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Should I go now-?"

"No! No, you should not chase the girl that is very upset and just had _another_ drink thrown at her because she'll probably kick you in the nuts. But you should talk to her soon, before I kick your ass." She punctuated her point by giving Shane another harsh shove, causing Nate to intervene and wrap his arm around her.

Shane felt terrible that Mitchie was getting more crap from the campers, but he was exhausted from thinking about it all night, and it was not the morning to mess with him.

"Hey, you know, she _lied_ to me. I have a right to be upset," he barked at Caitlyn, rubbing his arm where she shoved him repeatedly. She was stronger than she looked.

"Oh, Christ," Jason muttered.

"Fine! Be upset! I don't care!" Nate tightened his hold on Caitlyn as she got more riled up. "But you and I both know that she only did what she did because she was embarrassed. You don't even know the whole story! Do you even _care_ why they all hate her? Or is your big ego just too bruised for you to even care about someone other than yourself? That's all this is!" She shrugged off Nate's arm and got into Shane's face at this point, her voice raised and her mouth opening before she could think through her thoughts. "Big bad Shane Gray is upset because a girl lied to him. You don't give a damn about the reasons as to why she did it, you're just mad because it made _you_ look and feel stupid. You, you, you!" She let out a frustrated scream. "Well take a moment and think about how Mitchie just felt when a girl threw her drink in her face and high-fived her friends. And how she just stood there and took it because she's a much better person that I could ever be. You just think about _that_ while you're all alone yet surrounded by fangirls, feeling fucking sorry for yourself."

Shane stood there, his mouth slightly open as Caitlyn finally allowed Nate to move her back a few steps. Jason actually looked a little frightened of Caitlyn, which he couldn't blame him for.

"You don't care," she scoffed, her voice lowered as she looked at Shane with disdain. "You never did."

As she turned to walk away, Shane finally found his voice.

"Hey! I cared. I _care_!" He cried, outraged. "Mitchie and I are friends! You think I _like_ knowing that people are throwing their drinks on her and laughing at her? I just never thought that a girl like her could lie to me!"

"I'm not perfect," Mitchie's soft voice cut through the heavy silence that hung after Shane's words.

Shane whipped around to see her standing behind them, somewhat awkwardly. Her still damp hair (she had just shoved it under the sink to rinse it – she didn't care that much) was thrown in a ponytail and she was now wearing denim shorts and a plain black ribbed tank top with black Converses. She figured it was probably best to not put too much effort into her appearance that day, especially if that wasn't the last thing to get thrown on her.

"I'm sorry you think I lied," she continued. "But people make mistakes. _I_ make mistakes. And I'm sorry." She finished lamely, not knowing where to go from there. Shane made no move to say anything, him and his bandmates just staring at Mitchie.

"Let's go," Cait said finally, nodding her head towards the cabin where their production class was. Mitchie nodded and started to walk past the guys to get to Caitlyn when a hand reached out and grabbed her forearm, making her freeze.

"Mitchie, wait…" Shane started, but just then, the doors to the mess hall opened. The first few kids that poured out took in the scene before them and froze, causing quite the congestion of kids trying to get to class. Shane made a spur of the moment decision as he saw the somewhat manic look in a few girls eyes. He knew what was coming next. "Come on," he muttered.

He quickly pulled Mitchie after him as he darted around the building, finding a bush close to the side of the mess hall and pulled her with him behind it, bringing her to a crouching position.

Sure enough, a few seconds later and stampeding feet went marching by, a group of about 20 or so girls desperately trying to seek Shane out. He gently pulled Mitchie up with him into a standing position, but brought their bodies closer. A finger on his lips urged her to be quiet as straggling girls still passed by their hiding spot.

Mitchie tried frantically to quell the butterflies that were beating furiously in her stomach. She had just convinced herself in the five minutes that she had used to change that she was just going to separate herself from Shane, and yet here she was, with him, behind a bush. And he was standing _so close_! She wanted nothing more than to lean up and brush her lips against his, but the mere fact that she was actually contemplating that was enough to send her packing. She shouldn't – couldn't – want that with Shane Gray.

Another minute passed. Mitchie was refusing to be the first one to speak, as it was Shane who had dragged her here against her will, but she was also refusing to meet his eyes. She wasn't sure if that would strengthen her resolve or be her unraveling.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It's fine," she responded monotonously.

"No, it's not fine."

"Yes, it is," she insisted. "Shane, I made a choice and now I have to live with it. I have to live with all of my choices. But I get it, I do. It was stupid of me to even assume that we could be friends-"

"What?"

"And now I see that," she talked over him. "We're from two different worlds. So don't…don't feel _bad_. This is my fault."

Shane stood there, shocked, as Mitchie edged away from him and out from behind the bush. _There she goes, blaming everything on her_, he mused.

"So that's it then?" He called out, following her. She paused and turned around, shrugging her shoulders.

"What else is there, Shane?" He closed the distance between them, putting his hands on her shoulders to keep her there.

"There's _this_. We were…_are_ friends. You've already apologized and now I want to."

"I don't deserve this," Mitchie said, shaking her head, trying not to cry.

"Deserve what? My forgiveness?" She nodded. "No, what you don't deserve are drinks being thrown at you or kids being cruel."

She closed her eyes tightly and a stray tear seeped out, trickling down her cheek.

"You don't know that," she managed to get out. "You don't see me as I am, Shane. You don't know what I deserve. You put me on this pedestal, and I'm…I'm so up high that I can't see the ground below."

"Hey, hey, hey – you telling me your feelings or are you quoting a song?" He joked at her prose that escaped her lips.

"Maybe it'll be a song later," she said with a watery chuckle. "But seriously, Shane. You've already put in so much effort for me. I'm just a girl, there's a million others out there just like me."

"You and I both know that's not true. Now if you'd just let me apologize-"

"You don't have anything to be sorry about, Shane, I do!"

"Agree to disagree. Have dinner with me tonight." It wasn't a question.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea…"

"My cabin. You can bring some food from the mess hall and we can eat together. And talk. And give each other useless apologies."

Another laugh escaped her. "I should go to class…"

"That wasn't a yes, Mitch," he said softly, still not letting go of her.

"Yes," she said finally. She thought it was a bad idea in every sense of the word, but the prospect of not eating in the cafeteria with everyone else was too great to pass up.

"Good." He finally released her and gave her a little nudge with a smile. "Get to class."

* * *

She got to class and instantly started scribbling in her notebook, even though everyone else was either hard at work on their computers or giving her death glares.

"Where's the fire? And will this new song be able to put it out?" Caitlyn joked as she slid into the seat next to Mitchie. She got a smile in return, but Mitchie continued to write as fast as she could all the thoughts that were going through her head. She'd work out everything else later, she just didn't want to lose the few sane and coherent thoughts she had right then. Finally, she put her pen down and actually turned on her computer. She looked up and flashed Nate an innocent grin and got an eye roll in return.

"Sorry, I was just…you know." Mitchie gestured to her notebook.

"No biggie," Caitlyn stretched out and put her feet up on the desk next to her. "So, how were things with…you-know-who?"

"He's not _Voldemort_, Caitlyn. And I have no idea, to be honest. I cried, then I laughed, then I wanted to cry but I didn't and then I smiled and now we're having dinner tonight. I swear, I get emotional whiplash every time I'm near him."

"Dinner tonight?" Count on Caitlyn to only pick up the juiciest tidbits from rants.

"Yes, and no, not in the mess hall. He wants to eat in his cabin. I have no idea what he wants from me…"

"Maybe he just wants an explanation, Mitchie. I mean, you were sort of vague when you were yelling at him at the Jam."

"He should hate me," Mitchie said more to herself than to Caitlyn.

"No, he shouldn't. He'd be a fool to. You said it yourself, everyone makes mistakes. He'd be an idiot if he let this ruin you guys' friendship."

"Safe to say I'm the only idiot in this relationship."

"Ooh, so there's a _relationship_ now?" Caitlyn waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"You are a pest, you know that?"

"I know. You love me anyway."

"Lord knows why…" Mitchie teased as she opened up one of her projects in Garage Band. The class was easier than she had anticipated and she didn't really have much to do except keep up with the tasks Nate gave. He spent most of his time going over how to do little things with the younger kids in the class while Mitchie just breezed on through. "Wow, is that the date?" Mitchie asked aloud as she saw the date in the corner of the screen.

"Mmhmm," Cait murmured as she started playing with something on her own computer.

"I can't believe this will be our third week here. I feel like I've been here forever."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Camp is almost half over, Mitchie. I get depressed just thinking about it."

"Sorry. It does suck. And don't get me started on the next Jam – anything that wants to go wrong always seems to then."

"It always has a way of working out though, right?"

Mitchie raised her eyebrows at that. "We'll find out tonight, I guess. What's the next Jam, anyway…?"

"It's Friends and Family weekend, so kids are encouraged to do whatever they want." Nate popped up in front of them, leaning on top of the computer monitors.

"That's here already?" Mitchie double-checked the date and realized Nate was right. "Wow. I didn't even notice. Are your guys' parents coming up, Nate?"

"I think Jason's mom might – mine aren't and I doubt Shane's are."

"Well, that's fun. What about you, Cait?"

Caitlyn heaved a big sigh. "They say they will, but we'll see whether they show up Saturday morning or not, right?"

"Someone not very wise said to me that things always have a way of working out," Mitchie said sagely.

"Really? Not very wise? They sound like a genius to me!" Caitlyn said with a laugh.

"Hey Caity, do you mind checking how the back row is doing with the last project? Every time I go back there, someone grabs my ass," Nate said with a shudder.

"You got it, boss," she said as she moved towards the last row with a scowl on her face.

"Hey, Mitchie," Nate leaned a little closer once Caitlyn was out of earshot, "I get what happened. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

"Thanks," she said quietly. "I should be apologizing to you, though. I'm sorry if you think I lied to get closer to you guys-"

"Whoa. _We_ do not think that. Shane _thought_ that, but not anymore. Just, um…don't let him be too hard on himself. Between you and him, there's enough guilt to drive a person mad." Nate shot her a grin before standing back up straight. "Besides, things always have a way of working themselves out in the end."

Mitchie smiled to herself as Nate walked away, busying himself with the class. "I've heard that before," she said softly before returning to the song she had been writing.

* * *

The day dragged on and on for Mitchie. Neverending insults seemed to be hurled at her and she had to admit that she was more than a little surprised at how many people seemed to be affected at her supposed 'mistreatment' of Shane Gray. She had to eat lunch in the kitchen with Cait as to avoid any other food mishaps and then there had been dance class _with_ Shane, which was awkward to say the least. He had been quiet the entire class, very subdued. Mitchie hadn't known what to expect but it hadn't been the soft, introspective Shane that had conducted the class. She had felt a rush of disappointment when she had gotten the air knocked out of her due to a sharp elbow to the stomach, courtesy of Tess Tyler, and Shane hadn't even said anything, just kept on counting the beats to the song.

Jason's guitar class was quickly becoming her favorite class at camp. Aside from the few snobbish girls and their ringleader, Liberty, she got along fairly well with everyone. The guys in her class were all sort of skater dudes that never had a hard time making her laugh, and despite the somewhat strained relationship she had with Peggy, it was nice to have someone to roll her eyes at with when someone did something ridiculous. But even that had to come to an end sooner rather than later, and after a hug from Jason, Mitchie found herself in the kitchen, preparing dinner for yet another night.

"Don't worry about cleaning up the mess hall tonight, honey," Connie called to her as she was loading a tray of cookies into the oversized oven.

"Huh?" Mitchie looked up from her task of putting typical baked potato toppings into separate bowls.

"Brown let me know that as punishment, a group of boys will be assisting for the rest of the week in cleanup. Guess he didn't trust them enough with the helping out, huh?" Connie laughed at her own joke and bustled away.

"What'd they do?" Mitchie called out to her mother before she could get too far.

"Not too sure," Connie said as she turned around. "I think he said something about writing some mean things about a girl on one of the outhouses. You know, typical boy stuff."

Mitchie instantly knew whom they were writing about. She started chopping the bacon into bits vigorously.

Ten minutes (and one sliced finger) later, and Mitchie deemed herself too riled and anxious to help out anymore. She heard campers start to make their way into the dining hall and she washed her hands and started plating up some food for her and Shane. She vaguely remembered him saying something about him liking his steak still mooing, so she rushed to the grill and snagged two very rare steaks that were still cooking, grinning at the assistant that was currently manning the large grill.

"And who is that for?" Connie queried as Mitchie grabbed two baked potatoes that were still wrapped in tinfoil. She continued to plate up some assorted toppings for them without looking up.

"I'm not gonna eat at the mess hall tonight." _I wonder if he likes salad?_ She wondered idly before filling up two bowls, just to be on the safe side.

"I gathered that. Since when can you eat two steaks?"

"Since when do I get the third degree about my food?" She finally looked up into her mother's face, which was wearing a 'try-that-answer-again' expression. "I'm eating dinner with Shane, okay?"

"Hm."

"Aaand that's why I didn't tell you." Mitchie grabbed two bottles of water and shoved them in her messenger bag. "You're going to think about this too much. It's just two friends getting together and talking. Over cheap cafeteria dinner."

"Hey! My food is not cheap!" Connie swatted her with a dishrag. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She called after her as Mitchie was about to open the screen door.

"_Mom!_ Ugh!"

"Have fun!"


	21. Sorry Has To Be The Hardest Word

**Author's Note: Okay, so I could type up a few paragraphs about why this took so long, but truth is – life got busy! In the past two months, I have: turned 21 (ohmygodthatwasmessy), cooked a 10 dish Thanksgiving meal for 15 people, had my boyfriend come back to live in NC for 9 months, moved in with said boyfriend in our own first place (well, plus my Great Dane), continued with my college courses, still have a full-time job, and have tried desperately to infuse every part of my life with holiday spirit. Sometimes life just gets intense.**

**But anyway, here is the next chapter for you guys – a nice long one. Hopefully it won't take as long for the next chapter! I'm hoping to do at least one more before Christmas and then get back into the swing of things. Hope you guys still remember this story and like it!**

**Also, the song used is Missy Higgins' "Where I Stood." I haven't uploaded a downloadable version yet, but I will!**

**Disclaimer: None of this is mine. Not even a little. **

"You came!" Shane opened the door to let Mitchie pass with the tray of food.

"You invited me," she pointed out. "I hope you don't mind water with your steak…" She slid the tray onto the table that they had shared breakfast on so many weeks ago. Felt like forever to her.

"It looks great," he told her sincerely.

"I didn't make it." She winced at how cold she sounded. She was here to make things right with him, not to freeze him out. "But, I remember you like your steak rare, so here's hoping it's okay for you."

They sat down together and she tossed him a bottle of water. They dug in and after they shared a few pleasantries about the food, an awkward silence overtook the table.

"Shane-"

"Mitchie-"

They spoke simultaneously before breaking out in a somewhat nervous laughter.

"You first," Mitchie said eventually, a soft smile still evident on her face. "Mine'll probably take longer anyway."

"Okay, uh…" he stabbed his baked potato absentmindedly for a few moments before putting his fork down and reaching over to halt her similar motions. "I'm sorry for what I said. I should have listened to you and been less…caustic. You're not a nobody, Mitch."

She let out a very unladylike snort. "That's debatable," she muttered.

"You're not," he urged. "It just took me by surprise is all. I said some things I didn't mean."

"Me too." She spoke softly, her eyes drifting between Shane's and the very interesting half-eaten plate of food in front of her. "I'm sorry I…swore at you. I've never said that before to anyone," she admitted. "Not even to the people that have been terrible to me. It just…came out. I'm really sorry. I regret it."

"Well, I can't say that no one's ever said that to me before, but…it's okay. You want to tell me why you didn't just tell me that it was you to begin with? I mean, I get that it'd be a little embarrassing, but you sort of left me in the dark, Mitch."

He honestly didn't want to start a fight, he was just curious. Mitchie saw that and she thought carefully about how to word what she wanted to say. Just when he thought she wasn't going to respond, she spoke.

"When I first met you…at school, that is, I had just gotten rum and coke poured all over me in front of a world-famous band. And then you heard me playing and saw me…sort of…and I don't know. It was surreal, in a lot of different ways. You remember what I said to you?"

"You said a few things that night…"

"Well, when I said that '_of course_ I would meet Shane Gray the same night that I get publicly humiliated in front of my school,' or something like that. I honestly don't know which part was harder for me to believe – I met you, or I got embarrassed in front of my entire high school.

"And then I came here and I met you in the woods and you were sort of a jerk, and then I was sort of a jerk, and then you didn't recognize me and I thought…I don't know, that I could keep those two things separate. I knew Kylie was at Camp Rock but I didn't know that she planned to make my life a living hell, or at least not the way she has been. I thought this would be my chance to be a different person than who I was at school, you know? I don't think it ever really crossed my mind to not tell you because I was embarrassed."

"But why didn't you ever tell me once we were friends? I mean, it could've been something we talked about. You never mentioned anything about it. Hell, you never even told me why Kylie hates you in the first place."

"I tried to tell you," she insisted, a pleading note in her voice. "I swear I did. I went to tell you after that stupid Beatles Jam and then you said how…how _bad_ you felt for me." She could feel the tears building in her eyes as she recalled the conversation. That had been almost as humiliating as the entire incident itself. "And I was worried that you'd either not want to be my friend at all or you'd only be my friend out of pity, and…and then…and then you said that I looked _lost_ and…"

Her voice broke as the full realization came to her. She closed her eyes and rested the heels of her hands in her eyes, trying to staunch the flow of tears.

Shane got up the second she stopped speaking and kneeled in front of her, beside the table.

"Hey, it's okay." Shane rested his hands on Mitchie's knees, causing her eyes to pop open. "Everyone gets a little lost. That's how we find ourselves."

"Are you telling me your feelings or are you quoting a song?" She joked, sniffing a little. A slow smile spread across his features and Mitchie couldn't help but mirror a slightly dimmed down version. "I'm sorry," she gestured to her tears that were slowing. "I swear, I don't usually cry this much."

"Meh," he waved a hand nonchalantly. "I'm used to screaming, crying girls, so it's no problem."

She shoved his shoulder lightly. "Jerk."

"Maybe," he said with a wink. He handed her a napkin and she wiped her eyes gently.

"Good thing I've already had to wash my face like three times today, or else you'd be looking at a raccoon right now."

"Things have been…tough…today?" Shane stood and backed up a few steps and sat on his bed.

"Things are always tough, Shane," Mitchie said wisely. "But I seem to have managed to aggravate the fangirls to a new level today."

He gave her a questioning look.

"Girls seem to be under the impression that I…um, broke your heart." She felt her face flush as she admitted that. She wasn't saying that it was _true_ or that she had any effect on his heart at all, but still…

Shane winced. That'd explain the excess of dirty looks he noticed in her direction. He wasn't ready to deal with the truthfulness of that statement, so he decided to take the more traveled route: avoidance.

"Good thing you put it together then, huh?"

She rolled her eyes at him and stood up, stretching, suddenly very aware at her plain, mundane outfit of shorts and a tank top. She couldn't have thought to change before dinner with a Popstar, could she have?

"I should probably…"

"Oh no you don't." Shane was up in a second, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to his bed with her. He scuttled up and sat against the headboard, motioning for her to do the same. He reached into the nightstand to the right of him and pulled out a big bag of peanut M&Ms, placing them in between the two of them. "You can't leave yet. We haven't had dessert."

"In that case…" She dug her hand in and grabbed a handful, popping a few in her mouth.

"And you haven't told me why Kylie doesn't like you to begin with."

She almost choked on the M&Ms. So much for just dessert.

"It's a long story…" she hedged.

Shane looked at his watch. "It's only 6:30. We've got all the time in the world."

"Okay then. Um, well, long story short, I dated a guy, broke up with him, and he managed to get everyone in my high school to hate me. Kylie is just taking that to an extreme level."

"Why would someone do that?" Shane was surreptitiously trying to put all the yellow M&Ms back in the bag.

"I see you doing that, you know. Why aren't you eating those?"

"I feel bad eating the yellow peanut ones since he is the animated peanut one in the commercials, if you must know. And don't avoid the question."

Mitchie held back her laughter – barely – at Shane's cute explanation, and tried to focus on what he wanted her to answer. Oh yeah. Joey.

"We dated for…a long time. His name is Joey Carter, his dad is that famous NASCAR guy. Things used to be good between us, but then…not so much." Mitchie played with the M&Ms in her hand, feeling sort of embarrassed. "This might sound stupid, but he just…didn't let me be me, you know? He wouldn't let me talk to the people I wanted to talk to, he would _never_ let me talk to other guys, he planned out every second of my life, he would follow me places sometimes, just to make sure that I was doing what I said I would be. He was just…everywhere, and it was really starting to get to me."

"That doesn't sound stupid, Mitch. That sounds…insane."

She let out a breath of relief that Shane understood. She had tried explaining it to her mom and she had just blown it off, saying that Mitchie was overreacting. That she should consider herself _lucky_ to have a guy that cares that much about her.

"You're telling me," she sunk herself into his pillows, feeling that much more comfortable with the conversation now that she knew that Shane wouldn't think she was being stupid. "I had to change my phone number three times after we broke up. Even after, when he made it clear how much he hated me, he'd still show up at my work, or follow me places. I don't get why, but he did. Does. I don't know."

"Did you ever consider getting something like a restraining order against him?" Shane asked. Mitchie laughed aloud at this.

"I have absolutely _nothing_ to go against him with except for the fact that he has turned into a major creep. Besides, he has so much money that he can buy his way out of any kind of trouble; trust me, I've seen it. I just wish I knew why."

"Sounds like he's still hung up on you." Mitchie scrunched up her face in confusion. It did? "Don't get me wrong, he's hung up on you in the creepiest sense ever, but yeah."

"I wish he wasn't," she muttered darkly. "He's ruining my life."

"And these girls – Kylie and all of them – they just go along with it?"

"Well, Kylie never liked me to begin with. She was actually a year ahead of me, but she stayed back this past year to redo her senior year." They both got a good chuckle at that. "But yes, they just go along with it. Joey was my ticket in. He was the only reason I even got to _meet_ those people. I don't come from money; they never would've given me a second glance if it wasn't for him."

"And so they're mean to you because of that?" She shrugged. "Mean to you how?"

Mitchie froze. She stopped tracing the M&M that was now leaving blue melty trails along the palm of her hand. She stopped _breathing_. How was she supposed to answer that?

"You know…" She popped the M&M in her mouth and licked her palm, unaware of the darkening in Shane's eyes at that action. "Same stuff they do here, really."

"What do they do here?" He wanted to hear it from her mouth, to really see things as she saw them.

"You know," she repeated. "Trip me, or pour stuff on me. And, I mean, they just do other, high school girl stuff."

"Like what?" He pressed.

"Like…I don't know. Stupid stuff. Spraypaint words on my locker. Prank call me. This girl, Melissa, got me fired from my job…somehow, I'm not even too sure on the details of that one."

"Wow, Mitch, I had no idea…"

"Don't. I mean, it's fine. It's just high school, right? It'll be over after a year and then I can get out of there. I just have to survive that long."

"You know, if you ever want to talk about it…"

She sighed. "I don't know if I'm just not used to talking about it or what, but it's not going to make a big difference either way, right? I mean, there's nothing I can say that's going to change the way things are. And I don't want you to…to pity me because kids are mean to me."

"I don't pity you, Mitch."

"Why not? Kids are mean to me!" She said in a petulant voice, coaxing a smile out of him.

"Hah hah," he said, poking her in the side. "I just mean that knowing all this…I think you're pretty amazing."

"You didn't think I was amazing before?"

"You are just full of sass today, aren't you?" He poked her again. "What I'm saying is that now, knowing all that you deal with and seeing how you handle it so well, it makes you seem even _more_ amazing."

"Handle it well?" She scoffed. "Shane, you've seen me cry like, five times today. That is in no way 'handling it well.'"

"Yeah, well, you're a female, sooo…"

That earned him an elbow to the side, but it did make Mitchie laugh, too. She repositioned herself, settling her head against his shoulder comfortably. Shane lifted her up slightly and then settled his arm around her shoulders.

"So, are there any other of my most humiliating moments that you'd like to know about?" Mitchie questioned in between M&Ms.

"Not so much humiliating, but do you think…maybe you could, um, play the song you were singing in the auditorium that day?"

"Right now?" She craned her neck up to look at him, disbelieving. She had just gotten comfortable!

"Nah, but maybe sometime this week? I told you that I still hear it in my head, and I only heard maybe two verses at the most…"

"It's not a very happy song," she warned. "I played it for him when I broke up with him. I thought it'd help him get over me and explain some things but…not the case, apparently."

Mitchie felt her eyes start to grow heavier as her and Shane chatted; they had both not gotten very good nights of sleep in the past two days, and she hadn't realized how calm she would feel after clearing the air between the two of them.

"I wrote a song after hearing you sing that time in the auditorium, maybe I could play that for you sometime, too. You could tell me what you think." Silence greeted him. "What do you think, Mitch?"

"Yeah," she said softly.

"Are you falling asleep on me, girl?"

"Yeah," she repeated.

"Are you going to stay asleep?"

"Yeah."

"Are you going to remember this conversation?"

"Yeah."

He knew that was a lie as he felt her body slowly become dead weight against him. He decided that he could probably use a few more hours of sleep, and it was early anyway, and it had nothing at all to do with the fact that Mitchie felt _so right_ against his body and it had nothing at all to do with the sense of comfort he got knowing that she was with him and not mad. It was none of those things at all. Right?

vhghgfghdssssssssfghkllljjjj

"Shh!"

"But I wanted to work on my birdhouse!"

"Be quiet, both of you!"

Shane didn't open his eyes as he became aware of what was going on in his cabin, but he could already envision the scene in front of him. As he peeked one eye open, he wasn't disappointed. Caitlyn stood at the foot of his bed with Jason and Nate flanking her sides with her hands securely covering each of their mouths. She was wearing a shit-eating grin and he could only assume that his two bandmates were too, underneath her hands of course.

"Please be quiet," Shane finally said as he opened both of his eyes.

"You're awake!" Caitlyn whisper shouted.

"Thanks to you."

"Shh!" Caitlyn gestured wildly to Mitchie's still sleeping form.

"She can sleep through an earthquake," he informed the group. Caitlyn slowly let her hands down from Jason and Nate.

"You two are so cute!" Cait squealed.

"Just because her ear drums won't burst doesn't mean ours won't," Nate complained as he backed away from the loud girl.

"Oh, please. So you two made up then?" Caitlyn shot a pointed look at Shane, daring him to defy her.

"Yes. We did."

"And…?"

"And what? We made up. We talked about it and now I know the whole story."

"The _whole_ story?"

Shane sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, the whole story. I know all about Joey and all about Kylie. The _**whole story**_."

"Just checking, sheesh!" She turned and grabbed Jason and Nate who were still staring at Shane and Mitchie. "We'll just go and find…something else to do."

"Wait! What time is it?"

"Just past nine. We were just going to watch some TV, but…"

"No, it's cool. You guys can stay and watch. We're just friends. Hanging out together. One of which happens to be asleep."

"Oookay then…" Caitlyn let go of the boys.

"Yay!" Jason exclaimed and promptly jumped on Shane's bed with him and Mitchie, prompting her to wake up.

"What's going on?" She murmured sleepily, stretching beside Shane.

Shane let out a little laugh and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Guess we fell asleep," he told her softly.

Nate and Caitlyn watched from across the room as they settled in on his bed, against the headboards. Nate couldn't actually believe that the guy lying on the bed across the room was Shane Gray. A sensitive, caring, sweet Shane Gray. He had seen Shane with girls before, and those adjectives never came into play. He got girls by being a mean, arrogant jackass and by virtually not paying attention to them. They latched onto him and he would eventually give in and play with their heads a little, then let them go. He had never actually seen him _care_ about someone like this before. And try as he might to deny it, Nate knew that Shane was starting to fall – or had already completely fallen – for Mitchie. It just never got less shocking to see him act the way he did around her.

"They're so funny together," Caitlyn said to him softly, looking at the other bed. Shane was resting his chin on Mitchie's head as she listened to Jason talk animatedly about something. "He seems to not have an issue with Jason when _he's_ the one that has Mitchie in his arms," she noted.

"They're in over their heads," Nate decided as he flipped on the TV in the corner. Mitchie was now reaching behind her and smushing Shane's face up, causing both her and Jason to launch into uproarious laughter. "Way over their head."

777777777900000000000000000

By the time Thursday rolled around, Shane and Mitchie were back to their normal selves. No more awkward silences and no more heart-wrenching talks. Mitchie had spent Tuesday night working on Jason's birdhouse, assuring him that she had called her dad and would be getting some extra supplies for it that weekend (he was over the moon), and then Wednesday, a summer storm had made the camp into a mud pit. They had joined the rest of the campers in the mess hall for board games for a while, but it didn't take long for Caitlyn and Mitchie to talk the boys into playing outside in the rain. Well, talk Nate and Jason – Shane was worried about his hair, but he jumped right up after Jason had agreed to join them. They had played for a long time, getting completely disgusting in the mud and rain, and it was the most fun Mitchie could remember in a while.

So now, on Thursday, people were starting to talk about the upcoming Friends and Family Jam, debating what they wanted to do and how they wanted to do it. The group was gathered after dinner around one of the many campfires that were going along the shore of the lake.

"It's on fire!" Mitchie yelled to Jason, who had conveniently forgot that he was holding a marshmallow over the fire for a s'more. He looked back to the task at hand, only to see his marshmallow completely melt off and fall into the fire.

"That's the third one!" He cried unhappily, but he got over it fairly quickly and speared another marshmallow onto the end of his stick.

They had let Jason sit on his own log by the fire and man the bag of marshmallows and the graham crackers and chocolate. He was at first put off by this, but after Shane assuring him that it was like the position of Banker in Monopoly (apparently Jason was never allowed to play that), he was much more eager to comply. Nate and Caitlyn were sitting cozily next to each other, along with a few random girls at the end of their log. Shane and Mitchie had a log to themselves, due partly to Shane's fame and partly to Mitchie's lack thereof. While the dirty looks themselves hadn't subsided throughout the week, Mitchie had to admit that Shane and her publicly hanging out had definitely helped her social situation.

"Here, get some crackers," Shane told her as he pulled a marshmallow out of the fire.

"It's all burnt, though."

"Mitchie, Mitchie, Mitchie, have you never had a burnt marshmallow before? It's the only way to eat them!"

"That's like char-broiled, Shane." She was giving the marshmallow the side eye, but continued to break apart the chocolate and put it on some graham crackers. "I can't believe you're going to eat that."

"Oh, I'm not. _You_ are."

"Whoa! I never agreed to that!"

Shane slid the marshmallow and it's crispy exterior onto the chocolate slab, making it start to melt almost immediately.

"You won't regret it," he told her sincerely.

"How do you get me to do things that I've never done before?" She muttered as she tentatively took a bite of the intimidating s'more. She had to admit that it was…different than she expected. She didn't taste any of the gross burntness she had been anticipating, instead it was just a little crunchier and a _lot_ hotter than she had expected.

"Drink!" She mumbled through the inferno that was her mouth. "Drink!"

The next five seconds were like something out of a James Bond movie. Someone had (not kindly) chucked a bottle of water at Mitchie, probably intending to hit her, and suddenly, Shane's hand reached out and just…grabbed it out of nowhere. One second he was sitting beside her, trying to locate his own bottle of water at his feet whilst simultaneously chucking at her and then the next, he was sitting up straight, holding a bottle mid-air.

"Whoa." He stared awestruck at his hand, marveling at his capabilities. Mitchie just rolled her eyes and grabbed it from him, eagerly guzzling down the cool water.

"I am amazing," he declared after she had finished and shoved the bottle roughly back at him.

"Yeah, yeah, well, I'm burnt." Mitchie leaned closer. "Do you see anything?" She stuck her tongue out for him to peruse in the firelight.

"Umm…" He leaned in closer, close enough for Mitchie to… "Ew! You licked my nose!"

"You've licked my hand before!" She countered with a cheeky grin.

"Touché," Shane acquiesced. All he got in return was a wide smile.

"Disgusting." Kylie Stile was suddenly behind her with her posse of about 8 kids, all glaring daggers at Mitchie. She didn't think that Kylie would try something right now, especially with all the counselors around (she saw Brown trying to make his way over from a little ways away, probably trying to prevent trouble before it started), but Kylie was always a mystery to Mitchie anyway.

"Are you two going to do a lovers duet for Friends and Family Weekend?" Kylie asked in her overly nice tone, which always had an undercurrent of _pure evil_ as far as Mitchie was concerned. Mitchie just stared at her blankly, confused. "You two _have_ made it official by now, haven't you?"

"We're not dating, Kylie," Mitchie told her while cursing herself for having her voice not be as strong as it could be. She hated showing any weakness to her.

"You're…not?" Kylie's eyes traveled down to where Mitchie's hand was resting casually on Shane's leg. She instantly picked it up and dropped it in her lap.

"We're just friends." _As much as I wish things were different, they're not_, Mitchie told herself. The last thing she needed was for her to slip up and confess her feelings to Kylie Stiles of all people.

"Aw, bummer." An evil smirk appeared on Kylie's face and Mitchie felt herself tense up in preparation for whatever was about to come out of her mouth. "I was hoping you two could double date with me and Joey."

Mitchie felt her stomach drop to her shoes.

"After all, it is _Friends_ and Family Weekend. Of course my loving boyfriend will be here," Kylie continued. "That won't be weird for you, right? I mean, everyone else here hates you, what should one more person really mean? Even if he _is_ the person that hates you the most, after you threw him away like yesterday's trash. I guess no one told you that _you_ are the trash…"

"Kylie," Shane began at the same time that Brown managed to worm his way over.

"Miss Stiles," he said once he was within earshot, shooting Shane a silencing look. "Why don't you and your friends go enjoy some s'mores over at _that_ campfire?" He pointed to one several yards away.

"Eat all that chocolate and sugar? No thank you, I'm actually trying to _not_ be a heifer. That's something that _most guys_ like." She directed that last comment to Mitchie and tossed a sensual wink to Shane, whose eyes widened in what could only be described as paralyzing fear.

Mitchie had no idea what possessed her to do what she did next. She would later tell Caitlyn that it had to have been the beginning stages of a sugar coma, but at that moment, all she could think of was how Kylie Stiles was so convinced she was better than _everyone_.

Mitchie picked up Shane's hand, still gooey from playing with the burnt marshmallow and she locked eyes with Kylie.

"Thanks for the advice," she said as she lifted Shane's fingers to her mouth and sucked off the marshmallow residue that was there, causing just about everyone's mouths to drop, including Shane's.

"Alrighty then," the grin could be heard in Brown's voice as he ushered Kylie and her friends away, trying not to laugh, which proved to be unsuccessful as he thought back on the looks on everyone's faces.

As soon as they were out of range, Mitchie turned to Shane, her cheeks a deep red.

"I am _so_ sorry!"

"What the hell was that?" Caitlyn questioned in between bouts of laughter that had both her and Nate hunched over.

"That was…interesting," Shane managed to get out, shifting a little in order to hide his _true_ reaction. "Not exactly expected, but…interesting."

"I have _no_ idea why I did that! Well, I do, but I didn't mean to and then…oh gosh, you must be so embarrassed!"

"He is?" Nate scoffed. "You look like a tomato, Mitchie!"

"Excellent," she muttered, letting her hair cover her face.

Shane swept her hair behind her ear, turning her face towards him. He was a lot of things right now but _embarrassed_ wasn't one of them. More like turned on, completely infatuated, borderline obsessed with her, but no…no embarrassment.

"Did you see the look on her face, Mitch?" A huge smile spread across Shane's at the memory. "That was _priceless_. Don't ever apologize for that. Just…uh, give a guy some warning next time."

"Deal. Next time I decide to suck on your body parts publicly, I'll give you warning," she said dryly. Shane had to once again reposition himself.

_What is your deal?_ He mentally berated himself. _She is Mitchie. She is your best friend. She is _not_ a sexual being. Although if she were to suck on something else like that, it'd definitely be sexual…stop it! Oh, Christ. She's too perfect for words_.

Shaking his head to rid himself of his traitorous thoughts, Shane focused on the group in front of him once again.

"I'm confused," Jason whined, causing everyone to erupt in laughter.

Shane and Mitchie decided to let Nate and Caitlyn take over the task of explaining what just happened to Jason.

"Let's go," Shane whispered to her, standing up and offering her his hand. She took it tentatively.

"Go where?"

"Well, with this next Jam coming up, I figure the camp needs to hear another Mitchie Torres original. And I believe you promised me a performance of a certain song," he told her as he pulled her up to stand next to him.

"Now?"

"Do you have a better time? At least we know where everyone is," he argued.

"Okay, okay, fine. Let's do this."

"We'll see you guys later," Shane called as he slung his arm around Mitchie's shoulders (_If Jason can do it, I can do it_, he told himself). He looked to where a flustered Jason was sitting as Nate tried to explain the little dispute that had just occurred with Kylie. "Good luck with that, man," he told Nate.

"Bye guys!" Mitchie ran a hand through Jason's hair affectionately as they made their way past him. "Bye Jase."

"See you tomorrow!"

Shane pulled her just a little bit tighter as they walked away from the group.

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"Are you worried?" Shane asked Mitchie as they made their way through the winding paths towards the mess hall.

"About what? Playing for you? You've heard me play before."

"No, not about that. About Joey coming up for the weekend."

"Oh, that." Mitchie was suddenly very interested in the cuff of her zip up hoodie. "I don't know. A little bit. You haven't seen him and Kylie together, they can just be _awful_ and…okay, so I guess you _have_ seen them together," she amended at Shane's pointed look. "He used to be a nice guy, but now…"

"Well, now you've got me and the guys. And Caitlyn, who may or may not be scarier than us."

She had to laugh at that. "I'm not sure if having you guys is a good thing or a bad thing."

"Why's that?"

"I just don't want you guys to get caught in the crossfire is all."

"Girl, that's why we're here. We get caught so you don't have to."

"You're a dork," she joked, pushing open the doors to the mess hall.

"You wound me! But don't worry, I know your secret, Mitchie Torres."

"And what would that be?" She turned around only to be face to face with Shane, their chests touching if they were to breathe deeply. She looked up in his eyes, surprised by the darkness that was there. He tenderly brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, smiling gently at her.

"You may be just tough words and sarcastic comments on the outside, but on the inside you're just full of rainbows and unicorns. You're a marshmallow, Mitchie Torres. A burnt marshmallow."

If someone were to be listening in, that one statement would mean very little to them. But to Mitchie, who was standing there, an inch away from Shane Gray the Popstar and former jerk, it was so much more than just words. From the undecipherable look in his eyes to the small smile that wanted to grow, she did the only thing she could think of.

"Maybe," she replied softly, and swiftly leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. She turned just as fast and started making her way to the baby grand piano that she had come to know and love. "Well this marshmallow is about to get gooey fast if you're going to make me play that song."

"What's the name of it?" Shane asked as he followed her into the hall, ignoring the tingling sensation left on his cheek.

"Well, I've been calling it 'Where I Stood,'" she told him, situating herself at the piano and pulling out her songbook. She rolled her eyes as she propped it up in front of her. "Force of habit, I guess. It's not like I don't know the words, but it has been a while since I played it."

"Have you played it since…?"

"No, not since that night," Mitchie confessed. "Ready?"

"Take it away, girl," Shane said as he slipped onto a nearby table.

She began with a simple strain of piano and just her voice, as haunting as ever.

"_I don't know what I've done_

_Or if I like what I've begun_

_But something told me to run_

_And honey, you know me_

_It's all or none._

_There were sounds in my head_

_Little voices whispering_

_That I should go, and this should end_

_Oh and I found myself listening."_

She gathered her strength for what she had deemed the chorus. She didn't realize how hard it would be to play this song for Shane, especially a Shane that knew the entire back story.

"'_Cause I don't know who I am,_

_Who I am without you_

_All I know is that I should_

_And I don't know if I could stand_

_Another hand upon you_

_All I know is that I should_

'_Cause she will love you more than I could_

_She who dares to stand where I stood."_

She focused all her energy on forcing the tears back in her eyes as she continued playing for him. His stare bore into her from across the piano and she had to fight to remain composed.

"_See, I thought love was black and white_

_That it was wrong or it was right_

_But you ain't leaving without a fight_

_And I think I am just as torn inside._

'_Cause I don't know who I am_

_Who I am without you_

_All I know is that I should_

_And I don't know if I could stand_

_Another hand upon you_

_All I know is that I should_

'_Cause she will love you more than I could_

_She who dares to stand where I stood."_

The first tear trickled down her face as she remembered the look of sheer pain on Joey's face as he heard her play this song. But she knew it now just as she knew it then: she had made the right decision. The relationship she had with Joey wasn't healthy. It was nothing good and she needed to get out of it. And in the end, it was going to be worth it. It had to be.

"_And I won't be far from where you are_

_If ever you should call_

_You meant more to me than anyone_

_I ever loved at all_

_But you taught me how to trust myself_

_And so I say to you:_

_This is what I have to do._

'_Cause I don't know who I am_

_Who I am without you_

_All I know is that I should_

_And I don't know if I could stand_

_Another hand upon you_

_All I know is that I should…"_

Mitchie broke off. She was barely discernible as it was; the tears were coming down so fast. In an instant, Shane was on the bench with her, hugging her tightly to his chest.

"All I do is cry on you," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I get your shirts all wet."

"It could be worse," is all he said.

They stayed like that for a while, until Mitchie's tears dried up. She pulled back, wiping her eyes carefully.

"It still sucks, huh?" Shane asked not-so eloquently. She shrugged.

"I don't regret it at all. I really didn't know who I was with him…he was so controlling and demanding and it was just so hard all the time. But yeah, it sucks that he's made it his personal mission to ruin my life. I didn't see that one coming. I gave him a lot and that's all I seem to have gotten in return."

"I'm glad you don't regret it," Shane told her softly, the only light in the room coming from the moon filtering in through the screened windows. "You seem happy. That is, when you're not getting drinks poured on you or getting screamed at by jerky Popstars."

"I think I am happy. For the most part, at least." She cast a sidelong glance at the boy sitting next to her. "What about you, Popstar? Are you happy? You're not a jerk anymore, so I know it's gotta be tough for you…"

"Hah." He nudged her with his shoulder playfully. "It was never that much fun, I'll have you know. Being a jerk isn't all it's cracked up to be. But, to answer your question…yes. I think I am happy. I think I'm finally learning what it means to be happy."

"Me too," Mitchie agreed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Me too."


	22. It's A Brand New Day

**Author's Note: Short chapter – I think the shortest I've ever posted, actually. But it was a good place to cut it off, and I've been writing like crazy recently so it's just to tide you guys over. Also, just wanted to apologize for the bogus dividers in the last chapter. I meant to actually delete out those random numbers, buuuut…oops. I was too excited to post!**

**Finally, I want to thank everyone who reviewed. I think most of my favorite reviewers left their input, and a few new people too! A huge huge huge thank you to Jplv80 and BabyBugg. Gahhhh you guys are so nice! I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story and I get all asdfghjkl when I read reviews like yours. So THANK YOU. Truly. Now onto this fake out of a chapter – don't worry, a longer one is coming soon!**

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Mitchie couldn't pinpoint what exactly changed in the between her and Shane that night, but she knew that something had. In the days following her mini-performance for Shane, he had become much more flirtatious with her, grabbing her any chance he got and joking with her much more freely. Mitchie did not mind _in the least_.

"What about this one?" Shane asked her, pointing to a song in her songbook.

It was Friday night and Mitchie had yet to decide what – if anything – she was going to be performing the next day. The boys and Caitlyn were in Mitchie's cabin, lounging around and Shane was trying to help her make a decision.

She looked to see what song Shane was pointing to (she had given him strict instructions to not venture past a certain point in the book and so far he seemed to be cooperating) and she shook her head.

"That one's way too depressing. And sad. And it's hell on my vocal chords." She looked over to Caitlyn and Nate, who, along with Jason, were listening to a few things off her computer, trying to help her decide what she would be performing as well. Her choices were simpler – she had already created several completed projects and she just had to choose from them. "How many have you narrowed it down to, Cait?"

"Like seven." Caitlyn looked between the boys. "Hundred."

"You had five options an hour ago!"

"I know! But then these two doofuses wanted to hear some of my other stuff and now they can't choose and that makes me torn, too. I want it to be good, you know?"

Mitchie smiled indulgently at her best friend. Although Caitlyn wasn't talking about it directly, Mitchie knew she was a little excited to see her parents. Even if she didn't want to see them, she wanted to _impress_ them, hence the decision making drama.

"Maybe you can mix us the worst backing track ever," Shane suggested from Mitchie's bed where he was now sprawled out, reading Cosmopolitan much to Mitchie's delight. "That way when Sookie Stiles harasses us for the millionth time to do a duet, we can let her listen to our proposed track. It can be so terrible that she won't even want to do one with us."

"No can do, Popstar, everything I make is gold," Caitlyn said with a flourish. Her cell started going off from the desk she was seated at and as she grabbed it she turned to Jason and Nate. "Find something wonderful, please?" She begged as she answered the phone and went outside the cabin.

"See what you did, Mitch?" Shane shook his head at her. "You've got _Caitlyn_ calling me a Popstar now."

"Leopards don't change their spots, Shane." She stuck her tongue out at him. "What are you reading in there, anyway?"

"The embarrassing moments," Jason answered for him. "They're his favorite part of any magazine."

"They make me feel better, okay?" Shane grumbled as Mitchie saw a distinct flush of red creep up his neck. She bounced onto the bed with him, folding her legs underneath her.

"Ooh, do you have some excellent embarrassing story that you've been holding out on me, Shane?"

"Do _you_, Mitchie?"

She waved her hand carelessly. "You see me fall down and get drinks poured on me daily. What's more embarrassing than that? Besides, I'm not a Popstar, that would be you."

"So you've said."

"So, spill!" She made to grab the Cosmo out of his hand in order to have his attention focused on her alone but he moved his hand quickly and she found herself lying down across his stomach, her face just inches away from his. Her brown eyes met his and Mitchie suddenly felt all the air get zapped out of the room.

"Really, I leave for five seconds and I come back to an orgy!" Caitlyn snapped her bubblegum as she reentered the room, looking at Shane and Mitchie's compromising position.

However, neither Mitchie nor Shane paid her any mind as they continued to stare at each other. And then Mitchie felt a stirring along her lower belly and Shane flushed a deep, dark red.

"Shit," he muttered. "Fuck! Um, Jeter, Joba, Cano, Bruney, Hughes…"

"Uh, what are you doing?" Mitchie asked, not moving. "Are those Yankee players? Why are you reciting the Yankees?"

"Looks like Shane's having his own embarrassing moment over there," Nate told the room with a laugh.

"What? Oh!" Mitchie suddenly moved to get off of him when he gripped her arms.

"Don't. Move."

"Oh, sorry."

If looks could kill, Jason, Nate and Caitlyn would have died that instant, when the three started laughing as if it were the funniest thing they had ever seen.

"Man, this is worse than that time in Vegas! Do you remember that concert, Shane? Oh my god, that was the funniest thing-"

"Are we really going to start sharing embarrassing moments right now?" Shane interrupted Jason, still glaring. "Nate, how about we start with you? Do you remember that time in the Keys when-"

"Alrighty then, we're just going to be over here deciding on what Caity's going to perform tomorrow," Nate cut him off, the tips of his ears turning red. He grabbed Cait's arm and sat her down in front of the computer, still occasionally giving the odd look to Shane to make sure he kept his mouth shut.

Mitchie waited until they were all busy with the computer again before she scooted herself up a little bit against Shane to talk to him more comfortably. "Sorry about-"

"Are you _trying_ to kill me?" He ground out, holding her in place again. "Stay. Still. Please."

She bit her lip and looked away, a faint blush appearing in her cheeks.

"Sorry," she muttered again, still not meeting his eyes.

"Not your fault," Shane managed to say, sounding much more carefree than he felt. "It's just a guy thing. Can't really control it."

"Right."

"I mean, really. Can't control it at all."

"Right."

"Yeah, it could be _Tess_ on top of me and I'd still…"

"…_Right_." Mitchie rolled off of him in a swift movement, ignoring his protest. She had allowed herself for one moment to consider the fact that maybe Shane saw her as…as what, she didn't really know. As a _sexual being_. Someone he could be with. She thought maybe she was edging her way out of the friend zone, and she had to be honest – she was okay with that. But no, as soon as the idea filtered into her mind, Shane unknowingly stomped on it.

"What the…" Shane hastily repositioned himself to be more comfortable as Mitchie hopped up from the bed, not even casting him a second look. Having her leap away from him was almost as embarrassing as the entire incident.

"I'm going to go get cookies. I'll be right back," she announced to the room before disappearing through the screen door. She hadn't gotten far when she heard the familiar pounding of feet behind her. She could only hope that it was someone she wanted to see.

"You disappeared out of there pretty fast," Caitlyn said as she caught up, slowing her pace to match Mitchie's.

"Yeah, I guess it got awkward in there pretty fast, too."

"Ah, the orgy?" Mitchie slapped her arm lightly, laughing.

"It wasn't an orgy. It was an innocent slip which turned…not so innocent. Which then turned not so interesting as he informed me that _'it could be Tess on top me and I'd still_…'" she lowered her voice in a cheap Shane imitation before letting out another bark of laughter. "Whatever. You know what? I don't even want to think about it. It's over and done and it's whatever."

"Um…okay?" Caitlyn looked a little bewildered at the sudden change in demeanor with Mitchie, but she had grown used to her general topic avoidance when it came to Shane.

"So, what's up with you and Nate? Has he stopped flirting enough for you to actually narrow it down to a few options for tomorrow?"

"Well, no." Caitlyn let a big smile spread across her face at the memory, before it faded fast. "Not that it matters anyway."

"What? Of course it does! You want to blow your parents away, don't you?"

"Apparently they're not coming anymore, so it doesn't make a difference anyway," Cait said nonchalantly.

"Whoa." Mitchie stopped, grabbing Caitlyn to bring her to a halt, too. "They're not?"

"Nah. Just got the phone call, as usual. 'Sorry, hun, too busy to show up in the middle of nowhere, see you in three weeks!'" She shrugged. "Happens every time, don't know why I thought it'd be different this year."

"Harsh," Mitchie frowned at her friend. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I mean, why wouldn't I be? What did you say? 'It's over and done and it's whatever.' Why should I care what they're doing?"

"But you were _so_ excited for them coming," Mitchie pressed, feeling like Caitlyn wasn't being as honest about her feelings as she should be.

"And that's what happens when you put your faith in people, Mitchie – they let you down, and you come up empty and cold. Now do you want cookies or not?" She asked, mock-exasperatedly. Mitchie started to walk slowly with her towards the kitchen.

"Are you going to tell the guys?"

Cait thought about it for a moment, before answering. "Yeah, I mean, why wouldn't I? I'll tell them when we get back." Mitchie opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off. "Now can we please drop it? We can always go back to talking about you and Shane, if you want…"

"So, cookies?" Mitchie linked her arm with Caitlyn's and dragged her off towards the kitchen before she could get another word in.

* * *

"Cookies, anyone?" Mitchie called out as she walked back into her cabin, a plate piled high with cookies in her hand. They were just leftovers from that night's supper, but she zapped them in the microwave to make them just as delicious as they were.

"And soda!" Cait held up a six pack of Mountain Dew.

Jason launched at the girls the second the door closed behind them.

"So warm! So good!" He shoved three cookies in his mouth simultaneously.

"Here, take them." Mitchie thrusted the plate into his hands before grabbing her songbook and pencil, beginning to scribble furiously.

Shane watched her from his perch on the desk, as he had been helping Nate and Jason go through some of Cait's stuff when the girls left. He wasn't sure if things were awkward between them now. He never seemed to know where he stood with her, and it was unsettling for him. He thought she might have gotten upset with him earlier when she left in such a rush, but she seemed fine now. He decided to bite the bullet and go talk to her.

He made his way to the bed where she sat, grabbing a can of soda from Caitlyn on his way.

"Whatcha writing?"

Mitchie looked up from her notebook, smiling slightly.

"Just some stuff Cait said to me. I think I have an idea for a new song…"

"For the Jam tomorrow?"

"Oh, no, this is just an idea. Not sure where it's going right now."

"What's it about?" Shane scooted closer to Mitchie, trying to see the lyrics better. She ignored the way her heart leapt in her chest when his leg pressed against hers and tried to focus her thoughts.

"Well, um…you see…"

"They're _what_?" Nate's loud voice saved Mitchie from having to actually think. "Are you sure?"

"What?" Caitlyn glanced at him as she continued to scroll through her computer. "Of course I'm sure."

"That's terrible!" Jason nodded with Nate's statement, although his mouth was filled with cookies.

"What's terrible?" Shane asked.

"Caitlyn's parents aren't coming tomorrow!" Nate replied, running a hand through his hair. "Can you believe that?"

"Ouch," Shane commented. "Did they say why?"

"They're busy." Caitlyn finally gave up looking at her computer and turned around to the rest of the group.

"_Busy_?" Jason questioned, finally swallowing his mouthful. "Everyone's busy. That doesn't mean they shouldn't come."

"Meh," Caitlyn shrugged it off. "I guess it does to them. Trust me, it happens every year. I'm not sure why I thought it wouldn't happen this year."

"You still going to perform?" Mitchie voiced the question that was on the tip of everyone's tongue. All eyes flitted to Caitlyn.

A tenuous smile stretched across her face until she seemed to get a grip and pasted a much larger, firmer smile there.

"Well, if _someone_ could make up his mind, then I guess I would…"

And just like that, the downtrodden mood was pushed out of the room (quite forcibly on Jason, Shane and Nate's part) as they corralled Caitlyn back to the computer to pour over more of her productions. Only Mitchie, who was jotting down lines furiously, would look up and see the hidden sadness on Caitlyn's face.

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"It's Jam Time, baby!"

"No," Caitlyn moaned from the spare bed in Mitchie's cabin. "It is _not_ 'Jam Time.' It is only like, noon."

Jason was bouncing off the room, throwing the covers off both Mitchie and Caitlyn.

"You guys are already dressed and ready! We saw you three hours ago!"

"Yeah, for breakfast," Mitchie grumbled, trying to get her blanket back. "We went to bed like ten minutes after that."

"_La-zy,_" Shane drawled as he sauntered into the room with Nate following behind.

"_Ti-red_," Caitlyn countered, burrowing deeper under her covers.

The two girls had been up 'til the wee hours of the morning, talking about everything and nothing at the same time, huddled under blankets with hushed tones, so as to not keep Connie up. Mitchie found that it was mostly her doing the talking, but it seemed to be what Caitlyn needed – someone else's problems to focus on versus her own, and lord knows Mitchie has plenty to spare.

"But it's Jam _Day_," Jason whined as Nate sat down on Cait's bed and Shane on Mitchie's. "We should be out there, doing stuff!"

"You're just saying that because you want to meet my dad," Mitchie mumbled. "Speaking of, I can't wait for you to meet him, Cait."

"Really?" Cait peeked her head out from her covers.

"Yeah, he's going to love you."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm not as…uh, _refined_ as your old girlfriends."

"Which works out perfectly because my dad hated them." Mitchie propped herself on her elbows. "Hm. So did I. This is a nice change of pace for everybody then."

"So we're agreed? It's time to get up for _real_ this time?" Shane cast a look at Mitchie and poked her side.

"We were up for real last time, too! Naps are healthy."

"Actually, studies show that people who sleep more than 8 hours per night have a significantly higher death rate than those who average 6 to 7 hours."

Four pairs of eyes stared at Jason incredulously.

"Dude…" Nate trailed off, confused.

"What was that?" Shane's eyes were wide.

"It's just a study. I don't know how they really measure it because isn't the death rate always going to be 100%? Doesn't everyone die? Ooh, maybe they had _zombies_ take the study…"

"Don't look at me!" Mitchie held her hands up defensively as all eyes turned to her. "Maybe zombies _did_ take the study."

"Can we please get up and ready before we fall any deeper into this alternate universe?" Nate pled gently.

"_Fine_," Mitchie sighed, hoisting herself up from bed. "Let's get this day started." _Who knows what will happen_.


	23. Where Does It Hurt?

**Author's Note: Hope everyone likes this chapter! A nice, decent length aaaand a lot of drama. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit the entire Family & Friends Jam into this chapter, but it's only because there is tons going on right now. Still to come after this chapter includes a performance by Connect 3, and some very interesting Joey drama!**

**Ok ok ok so I love you all and I hope you like this!**

**Ooh, and the song used is Alexz Johnson's "Where Does It Hurt."  
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They traipsed down to the kitchen, where Mitchie assumed her mom and dad would be and they weren't disappointed. With her dad's back to her, Mitchie and the other slid in silently, only receiving a smile from Connie.

"You got the goods?" Mitchie asked in a gruff voice, using a cucumber to pretend she had a gun against her dad's back. She could hear the smile in his voice as he responded.

"Depends, do you know where my daughter is? I haven't seen her in three weeks and I seem to have forgotten what she looks like…"

Mitchie could only laugh in response as he turned around and picked her up and spun her around.

"Daddy!" She squealed as the room flew by. "Put me down you freak!"

"I knew your voice wasn't that low! I thought you had gone through puberty again," he kidded as he placed her feet back down on the ground. He turned to the rest of the kids who had came in. "Trust me, that was _not_ a happy time the first go around."

"Shut up," she said with a smack against his shoulder. "Dad, this is Nate, Jason, Shane and Caitlyn."

He instantly turned to Caitlyn.

"What do you know about sports?" He asked suspiciously.

"The Dodgers will definitely get to the playoffs this year."

"Ah-hah! She's a keeper, Mitchie."

"None of my old friends ever understood sports. He seems to think this is a punishable offense," she explained to her friends.

"How is it _not_?" Her dad interjected, causing Mitchie to roll her eyes while Caitlyn just beamed at him. "Now who here is the one building a birdhouse?"

Jason let out a sigh.

"I guess everyone knows at this point." He hung his head dejectedly as he stepped forward. "It's me. It's me, everyone. _I'm_ the one that wants the birdhouse."

"Oh good," Shane clapped him on the shoulder. "For a second there I thought it was Nate, but good for you man."

"Well, son, I brought a whole bunch of stuff that I think you could use for your birdhouse." Steve picked up a bag from his feet and handed it over to Jason, who looked like he might pass out from delight. "Why don't you go through that and let me know if you need anything else."

"Anything _else_? This is amazing! Thanks, sir!" And with that, Jason promptly launched himself at Mr. Torres, giving him quite the scare. And quite the hug.

They spent the next half hour or so chatting around a table in the kitchen. Connie bustled around the kitchen, but shot everyone down when they tried to help. Mitchie loved seeing her dad get along so great with her friends – most of her old friends were polite enough, but never really engaged her dad with conversation. Here they were, chatting like they were all family. Jason was still in awe of the birdhouse supplies, and while her dad was in a heated friendly debate of the Red Sox versus Yankees with Nate and Shane, he'd still occasionally toss Caitlyn a random sports question. Every time she knew the answer or had an opinion at all, he would smile widely and tell her how much he liked her. Mitchie knew that was exactly what Caitlyn needed today of all days.

It was going great until the screen door to the back of the kitchen opened and a familiar voice rang out.

"Knock, knock!"

Mitchie felt her stomach drop to her knees. She moved closer to Shane and tried to brace herself.

"Is that who I think it is?"

Mitchie balked at her mom's warm tone. She watched as Connie dropped the kitchen towel in her hand and rushed over to the door, ushering none other than Joey Carter into her kitchen. She watched with slight pleasure as a shadow passed over her dad's face – at least one of her parents still had common sense.

"It's been so long, dear!" Connie smushed Joey's face as she beamed up at him.

"I know, it really has been. So when I heard that you were working here I just knew I had to stop by and say hello."

Mitchie wanted to gag at Joey's tone. Fake politeness was always his specialty. She wanted to shiver when she looked at his eyes though – gone was the warmth that once resided there and in its place was a cold, hard stare.

"What are you doing here? Have you met Mitchie's new…friends?"

Mitch grabbed Shane's arm at that. She just couldn't wrap her mind around her mom's attitude. She hadn't really been _cold_ towards all of Connect 3 this morning, but now she was talking to Joey like nothing had ever happened!

"I'm here visiting Kylie Stiles, actually. She helped me out a lot when…you know…" Both Joey and Connie traded looks as he nodded towards Mitchie. Connie patted his arm gently in condolences and both Mitchie and Caitlyn's mouths dropped open.

"Boys, this is Joey Carter, Mitchie's boyfriend," Connie introduced him to the group.

"_Ex-_boyfriend." Caitlyn, Nate, Shane _and_ Mitchie all said together. Connie and Joey grimaced together, but he apparently still couldn't take the hint.

"Sup guys?" He nodded genially to the group, although his eyes kept drifting back to where Mitchie was still gripping Shane's arm.

Smiles didn't appear on anyone's face. Short curt nods were given by all, except Jason, who, once he understood who Joey was, had taken on the job of glaring at him consistently.

"Hey you're the Connect 3 guys!"

"Aren't you leaving?" Mitchie asked icily, cutting him off.

"Mitchie Elena Torres, I did not raise you to be rude!" Connie looked downright outraged.

"I'm sure he has other places to be, Connie." Steve, while slightly warmer to Joey, was more concerned with his daughter, who looked like she was an inch away from a panic attack. "Don't you, Joseph?"

"I guess I should get back-"

"To your girlfriend," Mitchie supplemented.

"Right." He nodded. "My loving girlfriend. Nice to meet you guys." He gave Connie a hug before making his way out of the room.

"You guys should probably start getting ready for the Jam tonight," Connie told the group although her eyes were focused on her daughter. They all acquiesced and gathered their things, bidding Mr. Torres a farewell for now. Mitchie made to follow, but to no one's surprised, her mom called her back.

"A word, _mija_."

"Go on ahead guys," she let the others continue their way out. "I'll meet you down by the docks in a few."

Once they were out of earshot, Connie let loose on her.

"Never in my life have I seen you be so disrespectful! He came to see you and you treat him like you've never seen him before!"

"It was a bad breakup, Connie," Steve tried to soothe. "It happens all the time. Let kids deal with it the way they want to."

"He is a good boy," her mother continued speaking down to her. "You should give him another chance. I'm sure whatever reasons you had for breaking up look stupid now, in retrospect."

"He has a _girlfriend_ now, mom. And no, my reasons for dumping him are still just as valid as they were the day it happened. Maybe even more so. Now if you'll excuse me, I have real friends that I _want_ to spend my time with."

Before her mother could continue, her dad pressed a kiss to her forehead with a brief hug.

"Go on, go catch up. We'll see you later."

She gave her dad a real smile and then darted out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her, only to stop abruptly. If she knew her mother at all, she knew that she wasn't done saying what was on her mind. She held her breath, gave a quick look around to insure that no one was going to come up to her, and crouched down, looking through the screen door carefully.

"Did you see the way she treated him?" Connie continued once the door slammed shut. "That was uncalled for!"

"We don't know much about their breakup, honey. I'm sure she has a good reason to not like him if she doesn't."

"Oh, please." Mitchie could practically see in her mind the condescending face her mother was pulling. "I'm sure they broke up because Mitchie was overly sensitive about something, like she tends to be, and then they just never fixed things. It's just a stage, Steve. Nothing more."

"Well her and that Shane fellow seemed pretty close…"

Connie let out an unladylike snort.

"He's a celebrity, Steve. Do you really think he's going to stick around after camp? Sure, they're friends here, out of the limelight, but I can't see him really ditching movie premiers to sit at home and watch a DVD with our daughter, can you?"

"They all seem like really great guys to me." Connie said something too soft for Mitchie to hear, despite how she strained. "Hey, I'm not saying she wasn't rude. I'm saying that he probably deserved it. And if these new friends are going to be there for her, then I think that's good for her. She needs dependable people in her life, Con. They may be celebrities, but I think they all really care for her. Now listen, we can argue about this all day, or we can let Mitchie live her life. She's almost 18, hun. We can't control her life anymore. So how about we let her do her thing, and we start cooking some Torres burgers for the lucky campers tonight?"

She couldn't hear the response, if there was any, but Mitchie wandered away from the kitchen feeling a mix of emotions. On the one hand, she was way fed up with her mother and her insinuations and meddlesome ways. On the other hand, all of that annoyance was minimized by the fact that her father stood up for her in a really great way. She let her thoughts focus on that as she walked to the water to meet her friends – he seemed to really like all the boys and definitely Caitlyn, and he seemed to understand that there was just something not right about Joey. Her dad had suddenly become her biggest ally, and she doubted he even knew it.

* * *

The group spent the rest of the day hanging out by the docks, just talking. It went silently understood that the group didn't want to get into anything too deep, for both Mitchie's and Caitlyn's sakes. They were determined for this to be the first Jam night in which everything went off without a hitch. That meant both of them performing with little to no interruptions, but with Joey there, things were bound to get interesting.

The group was lingering behind the hall where Friends and Family Weekend Jam was going to be held; it was the same as Final Jam, to accommodate the larger number of spectators. Kids were milling around, eagerly waiting to be let into the backstage area. Some parents were wishing their kids good luck as they too made their way into the hall.

Tess, Peggy and Ella were standing nearby but had yet to say anything to them, which Mitchie saw as a blessing. Their peace was quickly interrupted by Kylie Stiles, of course.

"Aw, it's like the Lonely Hearts Club over here."

No one responded; they simply glared. It wasn't worth it to Mitchie to start a fight right now, and Caitlyn remained silent for the simple fact that she _was_ lonely right then.

"Really, no parents today, huh? I guess that's what happens when you don't have any talent."

Caitlyn's eyes flicked over the groups of other campers standing with their parents, talking happily. She couldn't bring herself to comment back.

"My parents are here, Kylie," Mitchie pointed out. Her gaze went to her parents who were a fair amount away, talking to a man that Mitchie didn't know, but he kept looking at her. She quickly looked back to Kylie.

"Your mother _works_ here, _Mitch_. She has to stay in order to keep your family off food stamps, right?"

Mitchie just gave a forced smile. "Cute."

"I try," Kylie said smugly. "Besides, I wasn't even talking to you, freakshow. It looks like your little sidekick's parents decided that she wasn't worth the time."

Kylie announced this so loudly that most of the people in the immediate area quieted immediately. Including Tess.

_Great_, Mitchie thought miserably. _Now Cait has to deal with both witches_.

Peggy seemed to notice this too as she bit her lip and looked at Tess. She didn't want to get involved in this altercation at _all_.

"C'mon guys," Tess said quietly, surprising all that watched. "Let's get inside. We can go over some of the stuff some more."

Mitchie and Peggy shared an astounded look as they passed by without another comment, but Mitchie couldn't say that she wasn't grateful.

"What? No quick retort?" Kylie asked Caitlyn scathingly. "C'mon, mommy and daddy issues will make for the great first techno Kids Bop album you inevitably put out."

"_Kylie_!" Mitchie couldn't take it any longer, but Caitlyn put a calming hand on her arm to stop her. Her eyes tried to find her parents but they were no longer there, only the strange man remained, still staring avidly.

"It's fine," Caitlyn said quietly.

"Hear that, Bitchie? It's fine. She _knows_ she's got nothing going for her, so why fight it?"

"You're a terrible human being, you know that?" Caitlyn asked stonily.

"Ah, yeah, I've gotten that before," Kylie said nonchalantly, playing with her nails before meeting her eyes. "And yet, my parents still love me. You must be doing something wrong."

"Fuck you." It was quiet and concise and it was in a tone that no one had ever heard Caitlyn use before. She quickly tore free of Mitchie and Nate's arm that seemed to have snaked around her waist with no one noticing and she took off.

Mitchie wanted desperately to go after her friend but she had to say something to Kylie first.

"You think you can just-"

"Caitlyn Gellar?" Brown stepped out of the door leading to backstage, clipboard in hand. "Anyone seen- oh, hello loves!" His eyes narrowed as he saw Mitchie and Kylie staring each other down. "Nothing going on here, right?"

"Right," Mitchie grit out between her teeth.

"Right!" Kylie said in a much faker, perkier tone.

"Good. Would hate for something to happen on a Jam night. Now, Mitchie, where's Caitlyn?"

"Um, she's just…she's, well…"

"Find her, please?" He asked with a look of importance. "She's on first. And you're following her, so if you two can get inside as soon as possible, that'd be great."

And with that, Brown turned back inside, still calling out various names.

Mitchie let out a breath of frustration before turning back to Kylie.

"Very good. You ruined another Jam. Congratulations." She whipped around to the guys. "I think I know where she went. I'm going to go talk to her." She eyes the hall longingly but sighed. "Don't bother stalling them. I doubt we're going to perform tonight."

"But Mitchie, this will be your first-"

She cut Shane off.

"Caitlyn's more important to me." She swung her messenger bag over her head and grabbed her guitar, leaning on the nearby wall then leaned down to pick up Caitlyn's laptop bag. She thrust it into Nate's hands. "Don't lose this. I'll be back."

And with that, she took off, almost positive of where to find Caitlyn.

* * *

"How'd I know you'd be here?" Mitchie asked as she made it to the clearing and saw Caitlyn's figure outlined in the setting sun.

It was a fire pit, similar to the ones that were on the beach, although this one was encircled by trees. It had various logs and stumps to sit on all around and Mitchie knew for a fact that Cait liked to come here and think.

"Because I'm ridiculously predictable and easy to understand?" Caitlyn shot back sarcastically, although Mitchie didn't even flinch.

"Sometimes yes, and sometimes no." She leaned her guitar against a tree. "Sometimes I think I know exactly who you are and then you swear at Kylie and take off and trust me, I have no idea who that person was."

If she had been expecting a smile, she would've been extremely disappointed. Caitlyn just stared as she paced around the opposite side of the fire pit.

"This isn't the best time, Mitchie," she finally said.

"When would be a good time?"

"I don't know. Later?"

Mitchie sat down on a stump.

"I'll wait."

"Mitchie," Caitlyn sighed.

"Not going anywhere, sorry." She shrugged.

"I don't _want_ to talk right now."

"We don't have to talk."

"I don't want to be around people right now."

"I'm not 'people.' I am person. And I am staying."

"Why?" She didn't sound mad, more curious than anything.

"Because you'd stay for me."

"And you'd put up a fight," Caitlyn retorted, although she sounded more resigned.

"And you'd know I was lying," Mitchie said softly.

A loud sigh and a Caitlyn finally sat down on an adjacent stump.

"This doesn't mean I want to talk, though. It means that I have come to terms with you staying."

"Which is correct. I am staying." A few moments passed then…

"You're the only one."

"What?" Mitchie asked, although they both knew that she heard her fine.

"Everyone leaves Mitchie, you know that," Caitlyn said with a humorless laugh. "You ever wonder why you sometimes know me and sometimes don't? Because sometimes I have to remind myself that everyone leaves, so there's no point in letting anyone in."

"Not everyone leaves." Mitchie was actually nervous about what to say to her friend. It had been so long since she had comforted a friend, she wasn't sure if she was even going to do a good job. But she knew she had to try, so she might as well just say what she was thinking.

"Yeah, Mitchie, everyone does. And I'm sorry if this is harsh but it's naïve of you to think that it's not true."

"I have no intention of leaving." Mitchie swallowed as their eyes met. "You are my best friend, Caitlyn. I have no intentions now, or in the future, of leaving you when you need me." Silence. Unsure if this was an appropriate time or not, Mitchie broke their eye contact and started rifling through her bag.

"If you don't want to talk, that's fine." She pulled out her worn song notebook. "I sort of wrote a song. For you. I wrote it at the beginning of the weekend when I saw how hard it was for you, and I know it doesn't have any of the special flair that you'd give it with your computer, but I think it'll get the message across…"

Caitlyn just looked on, still not speaking, as Mitchie grabbed her guitar and put the notebook on a stump in front of her. She stood, resting her foot on the stump and the guitar on her leg, a look of determination on her face.

"Okay so I haven't really practiced it, but…okay." She figured that Caitlyn wasn't throwing her out of her sight so things were going okay.

She started strumming her guitar, still straining her eyes to see the lyrics in front of her. She hoped she didn't fudge this up too much. It wasn't the song she had planned to do for the Jam, but she knew that this was just as important as any Jam she'd ever perform at.

"_Where does it hurt?_

_Tell me, 'cause I understand_

_The words of the heart_

_Beating like wings in my hand_

_We can't hide, we'll never lie_

_I'll always see into you."_

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw movement in the small clearing. Nate and Shane and Jason were all there, obviously aided to their whereabouts by Mitchie's impromptu concert. This managed to get a small smile out of Caitlyn as Nate came to Mitchie, whipping his drum sticks out of his pocket. He looked to the music in front of her and she just nodded. Hey, what was another instrument added to the arrangement?

"_There's nothing wrong_

_With coming up empty and cold."_ She nodded to Nate to start drumming on a log the next measure.

"_Staying too long_

_And trying to change rocks into gold_

_I've been there too_

_I've wasted myself_

_And you were there for me._

_So whenever you crash,_

_Wherever you land_

_That's where I'll be."_

She couldn't help but smile at Shane as he came up behind her and let his hand graze her hip. She also could've sworn that there was a glassy quality to Caitlyn's eyes. Maybe the song was actually helping instead of making things worse, which, if she was being honest with herself, was her biggest fear. Unless those were tears of anger, in which case she would need to write one hell of an apology song for upsetting her best friend.

"_And for every endless midnight_

_There's a sky full of broken stars_

_And there'll always be a place for you_

_Inside my arms_

_Where does it hurt?_

_When you open your heart_

_There's always so much to lose_

_So far to fall_

_And nowhere to go when it's through"_

Mitchie looked up to see Jason sitting with Caitlyn, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She still felt Shane's body lightly skimming the back of her own, and she motioned with her head for him to join in. He sang softly, not overpowering her strong voice, simply giving the song the depth. Her eyes met Caitlyn's as she sang from the bottom of her heart.

"_But if you let me in_

_I won't let you down_

_Put your faith in me_

'_Cause whenever you crash_

_Wherever you land_

_That's where I'll be_

_And for every endless midnight_

_There's a sky full of broken stars_

_And there'll always be a place for you_

_Inside my arms_

_There's a billion streets to walk down_

_In this city of broken hearts_

_But there'll always be a place for you_

_Inside my arms_

_Where does it hurt?_

_Where does it hurt?_

_Where does it hurt?"_

She strummed the last line out with Nate ending his drumming with a flourish and she looked up at Caitlyn. She dared to hope that that was actually a flicker of a smile on her face and not just Mitchie's active imagination.

"So…" Mitchie shared a hopeful look with the boys. They wanted her to not be mad almost as much as Mitchie.

"You were wrong," Caitlyn said coldly. The hope quickly disappeared from everyone's faces until Caitlyn softened up and continued with a small smile. "That song was amazing. It definitely doesn't need any of the flair I could ever give it."

Laughter broke out in the group and Mitchie practically tackled Caitlyn with a bear hug, not even bothering to let go of her guitar. Instantly, Jason was hugging the two of them and with a mutual understanding of 'why not?' Nate and Shane joined in too, causing the dream group hug of pretty much every teenage girl to ever exist.

When they finally pulled apart, Caitlyn, Mitchie _and_ Jason were all wiping their eyes.

"I know that was like, the cheesiest song ever, but…you know, and I'm sorry if it wasn't-"

"It was great, Mitchie. Truly. Don't ever apologize for writing something that good. I think I…I don't know. I think I needed to hear it."

Mitch nodded to the guys standing around her. "We're not going anywhere, Cait. We're here to stay."

"Promise?" Caitlyn asked with a smirk. Silence. Mitchie went to look up in outrage at the guys' silence but they were all looking at her expectantly.

"Well of _course_ I promise! I said it to begin with!"

One by one the guys promised aloud. With every boy, her smile grew until it practically blew up as Nate took her hand.

"I promise you, Caity, that I'm not leaving. Not now, and not later."

Mitchie nudged Shane in the side at this; she was beyond happy for her best friend and Nate.

"How is it possible that people I've only known for a few weeks are already more family than my…family is?" Caitlyn questioned quietly.

"Benefits of best friends," Shane assured her. "Now come on, we've got a Jam to play. Well…Connect 3 does anyway."

"Sorry, Cait, but you were first," Mitchie told her. "You know Brown's rule about not playing when you're scheduled. He's like a Nazi."

"Well, when are you on? You're still going to perform, right?"

Everyone seemed to think about how to answer that.

"You just got a private Jam performance, think of it like that, Caitlyn!" Jason was the first to respond. Caitlyn stopped walking and her jaw dropped at Mitchie.

"You missed your Jam?"

"I was second, right after you," she confessed, but hurried on. "But I mean, think of it like this: Jams never end well for me. Ever. Maybe I just saved myself a lot of humiliation."

Caitlyn still looked guilty for causing her best friend to miss _another_ Jam.

"Yeah, I mean you could be saving her years of therapy over something terrible that could've happened tonight," Shane pointed out.

"Someone could've dumped paint on her!" Jason jumped in.

"Yeah, or messed with the mic so no sound came out when she sang," Nate added.

"Or made it so that _too much_ sound came out when she sang." Back to Shane.

"Or maybe someone would've released locusts when she came out!"

All eyes were fixed on Jason.

"Gee _thanks_, guys," Mitchie managed to get in before they started back up, while trying not to focus on all these things that apparently _could_ happen to her. She made a mental note to never piss the boys off. "I think she gets it. What matters is that I don't care that I didn't perform tonight, Cait. There's gonna be other Jams. And besides, I just got to perform with Connect 3 for my best friend. Are you trying to tell me this night could get any better?"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes but resumed walking. "Let's go. It can't be over yet and the guys really do need to perform or it will look suspicious."

They made the walk back to the hall in silence, until they heard voices up ahead. As they stepped to the edge of the woods near the back entrance to the hall, there was Kylie Stiles and the man that Mitchie had seen talking to her parents earlier standing under the glow from a lamppost.

"Your night may get better yet, Mitchie," Cait whispered.

"Guys, we should probably just go-"

"Yeah, right," Cait whispered fiercely. "Like she would ever hesitate to do the same thing if it were us standing out there? Come on, let's get a little closer."

As they made their way closer to the pair, the voices were becoming distinct and words could now be easily made out. The two were definitely arguing.

"_But dad_-"

"Dad?" All five teens whispered in confusion. It made much more sense to Mitchie. She knew that the man had looked familiar earlier but she couldn't place it. Kylie Stiles's dad used to be a model in his younger years and would even occasionally be pictured in some Sookie Stiles articles and interviews. She couldn't help but to think that the man had clearly aged well.

"_No buts, Kylie. I don't even know who you are anymore."_

_ "Maybe that's because you're never around, did you think of that?"_

_ "Just because your mother and I are separated does not mean I don't want to spend time with you. You've pointed out several times that since I don't live in a mansion, you don't want to come over."_

"Did you know her parents were separated?" Shane whispered to Mitchie, who shook her head. She had no clue. In fact, she was pretty sure she read an article in a magazine just a few weeks ago about how happy the couple was with their picturesque family. It seemed to be a little different in person, apparently.

_"You live in a tiny 5 bedroom house, Dad! I'm sorry that I actually have _standards_ and don't want to slum around!"_

_ "That is what I am talking about. Do you even hear yourself? If it's silver, not gold, it's not good enough. And when it's gold, it's not platinum, so it's not good enough then. You're starting to sound like…"_ The man stopped mid-sentence and ran his hands through his wavy blonde hair.

_"Sound like who, Dad? Huh? Who do I sound like?" _

_"Like your mother!" _The man practically roared at his daughter. _"You sound just like your mother, Kylie. The reason I left her-_"

"_You left her to bang your secretary."_

_ "I left her_," his voice grew louder as he talked over her, _"because she was becoming intolerable. She cared about nothing except herself. She is rude and selfish and mean-spirited, Kylie. And I had prayed so hard that you weren't becoming like her because as a father, that means I failed, and then I get here, and what do I see?"_

Kylie rolled her eyes and turned to leave when her father grabbed her arm to turn her around and he continued.

_"I see my daughter, my own flesh and blood, tear down some girl for no reason except to hurt her. To cause her pain. You have stooped so low, Kylie. So low."_

_ "You don't even know that girl, Dad."_

_ "Why do I feel like I could say the same to you, too?" _He shook his head, oblivious to the five onlookers who were enraptured by the scene. _"I didn't raise you to be this way, Kylie. …And I know that you clearly don't like me right now, but you need to know that I would never be unfaithful to your mother. Not when we were together and not in the months that we've been separated."_

_ "Yeah, well, whatever," _Kylie scoffed. _"It doesn't really matter now, does it? Besides, anyway we spin it we'll have the press on our side."_

_ "The press? That's what our relationship has come down to?"_

_ "Oh no, it's come down to much less than that. And if you think you don't like me now, just think of how much you won't like him when I testify in divorce court and get all your money."_

_ "Testify what, exactly?"_

_ "About all those times you smacked me around after coming home drunk, in a stupor."_

_ "I've never laid a hand on you, Kylie!"_

_ "Well, they don't know that, do they?" _ Suddenly she adopted a very convincing scared and tearful voice. "_I-I didn't do a-anything, I swear. He just kept h-h-hitting me and screaming and…" _She instantly stopped sniffling. "_See? Not that hard. Now if you can excuse me, I have to go back in there and try to gain some of my social ground back after you started yelling at me in front of everyone during intermission."_

"We missed that?" Caitlyn sounded extremely disappointed, which earned her a nudge in the ribs from Mitchie.

"I think we just saw something much, much more important," Mitchie said softly as the group watched Kylie saunter back into the hall and watched her dad kick a trashcan in anguish as he made his way back to what they assumed was the parking lot.

"Yeah, I mean, who is going to pick up that trash now? He just kicked it over like he had no respect for Mother Earth," Jason said angrily. Again, all eyes were fixed on him. "What? It's true! And okay, yes, that was a little scary between Kylie and her dad, but the planet is important too."

The group slowly made their way out of the woods after they were sure both Kylie and her dad were gone.

"Man, who knew Kylie was such a good actress?" Nate asked quietly. "She is…scary good."

"I did," Mitchie admitted. "I've never seen her use it to such a…frightening degree, but she does have a certain knack for getting her way. Somehow, talking her way out of gym class doesn't seem as dire as what we just saw though."

Shane stopped abruptly, a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face.

"Guys. Did you hear what she said?"

"I think we _all_ heard what she said," Nate said confusedly.

"No. She said that her dad yelled at her during intermission. That means the show is almost over. Which means we better-"

"_Get in there!_" All three boys said at the same time, much to the amusement of Cait and Mitchie.

"Ok, ok, ok, you guys go in the back and we'll go in the main entrance," Mitchie ordered as she pushed them forward.

Just as her and Caitlyn were about to start jogging to the front entrance, she saw out of the corner of her eye Nate grab Caitlyn's arm and tuck some hair behind her ear. He whispered something quickly and then took off towards the back door. Mitchie raised an eyebrow expectantly, to which Caitlyn just rolled her eyes.

"Later! Now, let's go!"


	24. Hold On

**A/N: Okay, so I could write another big long author's note about why I haven't updated but the truth is, life got in the way and sometimes I get lazy. I know, it's awful. I love absolutely every review I've ever received for this story and you guys mean a lot to me. Just so you know. I hope you like this chapter – it's pretty long to make up for my waaaaay too long absence.**

**This chapter is dedicated to my big giant oaf of a Great Dane, Cadillac. I find that I write best when he is snuggling next to me.**

**ENJOOOOOOOOOOY!**

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They managed to get in through a side door, thank goodness, because Dee was chatting up some parents quietly by the front foyer. It was in between acts and they managed to scoot their way to two seats that were on the wall versus in the crowd, and very much in the front of the auditorium-like building. While this certainly did have it's detractions – like the somewhat surly Brown that was now making eye contact with them as he walked onstage – but a major attraction was the fact that it was on the complete opposite side of where Kylie Stiles was sitting. Neither Mitchie nor Caitlyn knew if they could trust themselves to not say anything to her if they were in close proximity.

Brown made his way to the middle of the stage, grabbing a mic as he practically talked to his nephew and his bandmates backstage, "For our next and final act that I pray to god is _getting all of their things ready backstage, _we have a very special treat for you." Mitchie gave him a thumbs up and a huge grin as his disapproving eyes settled on her. "Playing god knows what, because I haven't seen them all night, we have Nate, Jason and Shane – Connect 3!"

The curtains separated as Brown walked on the stage and with Connect 3 in front of them, the crowd went wild. Shane tossed Mitchie a wink before the guitar rifts started flowing through the hall.

"_We don't have time left to regret (hold on)_

_It will take more than common sense (hold on)_

_So stop your wondering, take a stand (hold on)_

'_Cause there's more to life than just to live (hold on)"_

When the chorus rolled around, the audience was on its feet, including Caitlyn and Mitchie, instantly recognizing one of Connect 3's biggest hits.

"'_Cause an empty room can be so loud_

_There's too many tears to drown them out_

_So hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on"_

Mitchie and Caitlyn danced around together, holding their clasped hands above their heads and dancing and twirling each other, singing along to the song. Instantly, attention was on them as Nate and Shane both pointed to them as they began the next verse.

"_One single smile a helping hand (hold on)_

_It's not that hard to be a friend (hold on)_

_So don't give up stand 'til the end (hold on)_

_There's more to life than just to live (hold on)_

'_Cause an empty room can be so loud_

_There's too many tears to drown them out_

_So hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on_

_When you love someone_

_And they break your heart_

_Don't give up on love,_

_Have faith, restart_

_Just hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on"_

Nate clearly didn't care about anyone else in the room as he left Shane and Jason to lead the audience to clap and kept his eyes locked on Caitlyn as he sang to her and only her.

"_When it falls apart_

_And you're feeling lost_

_All your hope is gone_

_Don't forget to hold on_

_Hold on"_

The smile that lit up Caitlyn's face would leave anyone questioning whether she really was an emotional wreck just an hour ago.

'_Cause an empty room can be so loud_

_There's too many tears to drown them out_

_So hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on_

_When you love someone_

_And they break your heart_

_Don't give up on love,_

_Have faith, restart_

_Just hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on_"

The song ended and the girls screamed as loud as they could for the boys. Mitchie knew that that song was just what was needed for the night that they all had experienced.

"He said to hold on," Caitlyn yelled above the crowd that was trying to make their way out of the hall.

"Who did?"

"Nate! You wanted to know what he said outside before coming in. He told me to hold on, that it'd all be okay."

"And is it?" She asked happily as they fell in step with the flow of people moving to the exit.

"You know, I think it just might be."

"Except that, you know…"

"What?"

"I think Brown is about to turn this night back into a suckfest."

The girls raised their eyes to see Brown making his way towards them in a determined sort of way.

"Brown! How nice to see you!" Mitchie said cheerily.

"My thoughts exactly, girls. See for a while there, I thought you to be dead."

"Dead? Noooo, not dead! Undead! We are very much alive. See?" She elbowed Caitlyn and the two straightened up and pasted wide smiles on their faces. "Alive."

"While I'm very glad the two of you are 'undead,' you do realize that you both missed your performances tonight, don't you?"

"Performances, huh? You don't say…" Mitchie looked around surreptitiously, trying to find an excuse to leave. She just needed five minutes away from Brown and she knew he'd forget all about it.

"I do say. And I know you haven't had the best track record with your performances here, Mitchie, but the purpose of this camp is to work on your weaknesses. You don't seem to have any vocally, but I have yet to see you perform."

"Yeah, about that…"

"And Caitlyn, while I didn't see you _right_ before the Jam like I did Mitchie here-"

A loud screech interrupted him. They turned to see Peggy, Ella and Tess a few yards away, with none other than Tess as the screeching culprit.

"Miss Tyler, was there something-"

"_Wrong?_" Tess cut him off. "Clearly! There is the biggest spider I have ever seen! It is the size of Rhode Island over there!"

"Over where?" Brown asked as he walked away from Mitchie and Caitlyn and towards the other girls. The pair traded looks, silently wondering if this was an opportunity to get away.

"Over _there!_ You've got to kill it. I can't handle knowing that…thing…is loose at camp."

"Alright, alright, well, no need to get flustered about it, we _are_ in nature, after all…" Brown was getting farther and farther away…

"Ew, I can't _see_ you do it! Gross to the extreme! I'm leaving. Girls?" Tess barely looked behind her as she started to walk towards the exit – and Mitchie and Caitlyn.

Just when they thought they had to brace for Tornado Tess, they were pleasantly surprised.

"What are you two doing?" Tess hissed. "Go, he's not paying attention, go!"

And they all quickly slipped away while Brown was on a search for a non-existant spider.

Once they were outside, Mitchie and Caitlyn turned towards the other girls.

"Um, thanks?"

"Don't thank me. I was just trying to save us all the pain of hearing a sob story about Caitlyn's parents."

A lightbulb seemed to go on over Caitlyn's head, but she remained quiet and hushed Mitchie when she went to respond.

"Whatever," she muttered.

"So there's no…?" Mitchie asked.

"Monstrously large spider? No, that was my genius at work," Tess said.

"You know Rhode Island's the _smallest_ state, right?" Caitlyn asked with a smirk.

With a roll of her eyes and a toss of her blonde hair, Tess marched off. Mitchie and Peggy traded a smile before Peggy and Ella hurried after her. As Mitchie led the way towards the back of the building, she couldn't help but question what happened.

"Was that…"

"Weird?" Caitlyn supplied. "No, not really. See, Tess's mom is pretty much like my parents on steroids. You should see her. She ignores Tess, even when they're in the same room. At least my parents lecture and scold and try to force me into doing things I don't want to. TJ Tyler doesn't even _care_."

"Really? I would never have guessed. They always seem so…happy in interviews and stuff."

"She doesn't really talk about it, but yeah, you can tell."

Mitchie hoisted herself up to sit atop a hand railing, Caitlyn leaning next to her.

"So you think that was…?"

"I think that was Tess _not_ being a she-devil for five seconds and having a brief moment of dysfunctional family solidarity with me."

A comfortable silence settled over the two of them.

"So today we learned that Kylie Stiles is the definition of pure evil and Tess Tyler actually has a heart buried under all those layers of foundation." Mitchie pondered that for a few moments. "Today has been weird."

* * *

The rest of the night almost managed to stay fairly normal. _Almost_. Her mom shoo-ed them all out of the kitchen when they offered to help (to her credit, she was a little more civil to the boys and Caitlyn, although she barely spared a word for Mitchie) and her dad actually joined them in the dining hall to eat. Mitchie might've mentioned to her father that Caitlyn's parents hadn't shown up and she couldn't hold back the smile as she watched her father dote on Caitlyn a little extra. Nothing too noticeable, but just enough to lift the girl's spirits.

"So this is a Torres burger," Shane said speculatively, holding it up for inspection before eating it.

"Yes. Yes it is."

"Why does my daughter not sound absolutely thrilled to be eating such a creation?" Steve Torres took a break from his playful interrogation of Caitlyn to address Mitchie.

"Gee, I wonder why. It could be because I have these burgers _every Sunday night_."

"Blasphemous! You haven't had them for the past few weeks! You must miss them so much," her dad teased.

"I miss them like I miss Joey," she muttered darkly, shoving another fry in her mouth.

"These are so good!" Jason managed to speak in between enormous bites. "What is your secret Mr. Torres?"

"Steve! How many times do I have to tell you kids to call me Steve?"

"Until it sticks?" Caitlyn suggested cheekily.

"If you want to be all _logical_ about it, I guess," Steve joked before turning back to Jason. "The secret is a family secret! No outsiders allowed to know."

It took Jason a few moments to swallow the bite in his mouth before speaking.

"So Mitchie knows?" All eyes went on Mitchie, who rolled hers.

"Yeah, I know the 'secret,' we just-" A hand instantly covered her mouth.

"Nope! She doesn't know anything. And even if she did, she wouldn't say a word, would she?" Steve looked at her, glaring at him from underneath his hand. He used his hand covering her mouth to shake her head back and forth. "See? Her lips are sealed. Unless one of you boys are preparing to propose to her…"

"I don't have a ring on me!" Jason wailed. The table, minus Shane, burst with laughter. Shane pretty much just grimaced. Once the laughter died down, Jason was still distraught. "Now I'll never have them ever again."

"You boys are always welcome on Sunday nights for dinner! It'd be nice to actually have people there that _appreciate_ the art of a good burger. You guys must get to L.A. every now and then, right?"

Shane held back a snort and just smiled.

"We live there most of the time, when we're not on tour."

"Ah, see, that's perfect. We're just up in Northern L.A., you are all invited whenever you choose to be." Steve turned to Caitlyn. "And what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You're the first intelligent girl that Mitchie has associated with. Don't tell me that's all gone after camp?"

"Not gone, but far away. I'm in New York right now," she explained. "But I do have an aunt or something that lives in L.A. Maybe I can swing that for a couple of months."

"And you'll just skip school, young lady?" Steve was joking, despite being curious.

"I'm privately tutored right now. I did the whole all-girls boarding school for a bit, but it wasn't for me. I told my parents it 'stifled my creativity,' and voila! They let me be tutored. I'm with my grandma right now."

"Stifled my creativity," Mitchie sighed. "Why didn't I try that one? I tried forever to get my parents to have me homeschooled."

"You didn't try that one because it wouldn't have worked. Like anything could stifle your creativity," Steve told her before turning to the group. "You should see her – it's 2 a.m. and you'll still be hearing the keyboard from her room, and there she is, writing her little heart out." He sighed fondly. "It's annoying, really…"

Mitchie laughed and elbowed him in the gut. Before she could verbally respond, a shadow came over her. She looked up to see who was towering over her and visibly deflated when she saw it was Joey.

"Oh. You." She was suddenly fascinated with her burger and insisted on taking a huge bite at that very moment.

"I was hoping we could talk, Mitch."

She glared at him for using that nickname and gestured to her very full mouth. She shrugged unapologetically.

"I'll wait."

"Maybe you should just go and try back never?" Shane spoke up, not even caring that Mitchie's dad was there.

"Maybe I wasn't asking _you_, hombre."

"Hombre?" Shane snorted. Was that supposed to be offensive?

"Oh, sorry dude, aren't you a Spic?"

At this, Shane stood up suddenly and Mitchie was not far behind, swallowing her food urgently. As Shane took a threatening step towards Joey, she quickly stepped in between and gently put a hand on his chest.

"It's okay," she told Shane quietly. The cafeteria was quiet now, just with a low buzz of chatter, all eyes focused on Shane Gray and Joey Carter and the misfit Mitchie Torres in the middle of them. Seeing Shane relax a little and no longer looking like he was going to _kill_ Joey, Mitchie turned to see a smug look spread across Joey's face.

"Insulting my friends is not the way to get me to talk to you. And need I remind you that my family is Spanish, so I'd really recommend thinking _before_ speaking."

"I'm sorry, it's just that…I get so crazy seeing other boys all over you."

Mitchie looked at him incredulously.

"Yeah, _I remember_," she bit out before straightening up self-consciously. "And he was not all over me."

"Sure he wasn't."

"Joey, you should just go…"

"She doesn't want you here, dude." Shane spoke up from behind Mitchie, trying to be more respectful than Joey, especially in front of Mitchie's father, who was still sitting down, watching the entire scene with serious eyes, ready to step in if necessary.

"And who are you, her keeper?"

Mitchie's jaw dropped. "Go. Now."

"You really want to make me cry in front of all these people?" Joey whispered with a glint in his eye. Mitchie wouldn't put it past him to make a huge scene in front of the rest of the campers. She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath.

"You have five minutes."

"Outside."

"I'm not going _anywhere_ with you." This discouraged Joey for a moment until he gave a small shrug.

"But why don't you _love_ me anymore?" He asked loudly, garnering all the attention possible. Mitchie could see people whipping out their cell phones, all eager to get this recorded.

"Alright! Outside!" She gave in quickly, not wanting to become a display. She turned to the table of her friends and father, all of whom were staring at her worriedly. She pasted a smile on her face and even she could see how she was fooling no one. "I'll be right back."

"Mitch…" Shane put a hand on her elbow. "You don't have to do this…"

"I know." She gulped and tried to wrap her mind around the fact that she actually _was_ going to do this. "I'll be right back," she reiterated. "Promise."

She felt everyone's eyes on her as Joey put his hand on her lower back and led her out of the dining hall. She tried to move out of his grip but he just slid his hand to her side and held on _tightly_.

As soon as they were outside, she elbowed his arm off of her.

"You were _hurting_ me," she spat out as she whipped around to face him.

"No more than you've hurt me, Mitch."

"Don't call me that." A beat of silence passed. "Well, I'm here. Out here with you. What did you want?"

"Why you gotta be like that, Mitchie?"

"Be like _what_? I don't want to be here, I've made that clear. You wanted to talk, so talk."

"What, you just got over me like that?"

"Like that? What are you talking about? We've been broken up for months. Yes, I am over you. No, I have no more feelings for you. I broke up with you, remember?"

"How can I fucking forget?"

"There's nothing more to say to you then, Joey. I'm going back inside." She turned to leave but her grabbed her wrist.

"No, no you're not. You are going to stay here and listen to me and prove to me that you aren't the bitch that everyone thinks you are!"

"I have nothing to prove to you," she said quietly. Her eyes followed his arm down to her wrist. "Let go of me."

He practically threw her hand back down, looking at her with wild eyes.

"So that's it, then? You're just going to pretend like you don't care about me anymore."

"You are delusional if you think I have any feelings for you other than thinly veiled hatred right now." She shook her head a little, more to herself than for him. "This is stupid."

He grabbed her by the shoulders before she could walk back inside.

"Wrong answer, Mitch. Tell me you love me." His hands were starting to hurt her shoulders, they were holding on so tightly.

"Let go of me, Joey."

"Tell me."

"No!" She shouted, more than a little pissed off at this whole situation. She was so _dumb_ to come out here alone with him. He stared at her angrily, still holding on to her shoulders when the door to their right started to open. And then his lips were on hers.

* * *

"Well that went well," Shane plopped back down in his seat as he watched Mitchie and Joey leave the dining hall, that creep Joey's hand sitting far too low on Mitchie's back for him to be comfortable.

"Do you think they're okay out there, Mr. Torres?" Caitlyn asked, genuinely concerned for her best friend.

Steve Torres didn't even mention the fact that she called him Mr. Torres versus Steve; he was just as concerned about his daughter as all the children were. But, he knew that his wife had a lot of faith in Joey Carter and he figured that couldn't be completely discounted. He decided that whatever Joey had wanted to talk to Mitchie about was obviously important to the young man and that his daughter really was being very compliant, all things considered.

"I think Mitchie knows how to handle herself," he answered noncommittally. It was the truth – he didn't think Joey Carter was a danger per se, and he also knew that Mitchie had some great defenses when it came to situations she wasn't comfortable in. He knew that no matter what happened, Mitchie wouldn't be talked into something she didn't want.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Jason wondered aloud. At everyone's somewhat flabbergasted looks, he just rolled his eyes. "What? You were all wondering the _same_ thing. I don't like him."

"I don't think anyone does, Jase," Nate said softly. Shane just kept his eyes trained on the door.

"I'm sure he's trying to convince her to date him again," Caitlyn scoffed. "As if she'd ever do that."

"Love makes people do weird things," Shane spoke up, still not looking away from the door.

"Psh! Mitchie doesn't _love_ him." That got Shane's attention; he locked eyes with Caitlyn.

"How do you know?"

"Uh, she told me. Besides, she could never love that ass-" She realized Mr. Torres staring at her with an amused look on his face. "Ass….uuuming person ever again. He was very…assumptuous. Lots of assumptions."

Steve just cocked an eyebrow with a knowing smile on his face.

Before anyone could say another word, a shout from outside cut through the soft din in the cafeteria.

"No!" The dining hall had yet to resume full shouting-status as it had a tendency to do, so Mitchie's cry filtered in easily.

Shane was instantly out of his seat and running towards the door, followed closely by Steve and the rest of the gang.

As he pushed open the door leading outside, the only thought on Shane's mind was to get that _creature_ away from Mitchie, and as far as possible. What he got when he stepped outside was another thing entirely. Mitchie and Joey, locked in a _very_ intimate embrace.

It didn't last long. As soon as it registered what was happening, Mitchie had her female-in-distress instincts kick into overdrive. She didn't even think about, she just let it happen. And "it" was a swift knee to Joey Carter's groin.

He instantly removed his lips and arms from Mitchie and cupped himself, keeling over in pain. Mitchie had absolutely no remorse and pushed him away even farther, causing him to stumble but not fall.

"Are you _psychotic_?" She wiped her lips with disgust. "When I said 'let me go,' it wasn't an invitation to help yourself to the all-you-can-eat Mitchie lips buffet!" She spit out any saliva that she had even _suspected_ of not belonging to her.

"Mitchie, are you okay?" Shane was in front of her, carefully not touching her, but instead he seemed to be searching her with his eyes for any injuries.

"I'm fine," she assured him, still glaring at Joey behind him. "_Someone_ needs to learn how to let go." She wiped her mouth another time for good measure. "Both physically and mentally," she muttered so only Shane heard.

"Are you sure you're okay, sweetheart?" Her dad appeared next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled into his embrace a little before pulling back and looking into his eyes.

"I'm _fine_, daddy. Promise."

"Why don't you guys go on back to the cabins? Get out of here for a while, relax."

As good as that sounded, Mitchie knew she couldn't.

"I can't, dad. I have to help mom clean up the dining hall. There's been like, a zillion people eating here today. I'm sure it's a mess."

"I'll help your mother, you should go."

She gave her dad a skeptical look. He clearly had no idea how big the dining hall was.

"It'll be fine, I promise!" He tossed her words back to her with a smile. "It'll be like husband-wife bonding time."

"Ew. Fine." She gave her dad another hug before starting to walk off with the others. "Just remember that people _eat_ in there, okay dad? No hanky panky."

"Scouts honor. No hanky panky." He laughed at his daughter's resilience. She had clearly just been involved in a less than pleasant experience with her ex-boyfriend and yet there she was, cracking jokes and trying to reassure her friends and father. He hoped she got that trait from him.

He watched as they got farther and farther away before he turned to the boy that was currently leaning against the dining hall, his back to him, trying to catch his breath.

He said nothing as he stepped in front of him, glowering. He watched as Joey's eyes went from angry to somewhat regretful to nothing. He seemed to put a wall up between his emotions and his face. It was unsettling, to say the least.

"I love her," Joey Carter said flatly.

"So do I. Which is why I'm not going to kill you right here and right now. I like to think that Mitchie wants her father around for the rest of her life and not in prison. But if you touch my daughter again, after she has _clearly_ expressed that she does not want you to, prison will be the least of my worries." He glared at the kid in front of him who seemed to not even care that he was being threatened. "And the least of yours, too. Am I making myself clear?"

Joey gave a derisive snort.

"You're psychotic."

Steve just gave him a cold grin as he started backing away.

"Actually, I believe that's the adjective my daughter gave to _you_."

* * *

"I don't even get it! What is his malfunction? What part of 'let go of me' did he not understand? I swear to god, he is not a normal human being. He just can't be. And besides, what is the allure of kissing a girl that clearly doesn't want to be kissing you? Isn't that just depressing? Doesn't it just take the fun out of it all?" Mitchie looked around at all her friends sitting in the boys' cabin with her. "Well, doesn't it?"

"Oh, did you want us to actually speak?" Caitlyn teased from her spot on Nate's bed, sitting propped up against the headboard with the owner of the bed.

Mitchie had to smile at that. They had just walked into the cabin and she realized that she had been ranting the entire walk there and she had just kept on going.

"Sorry. Kind of riled, I guess."

"Pretty riled for a girl that says she's fine," Nate commented.

"I…I am fine. I think. It's just…that was so weird. I mean, not _really_ weird for Joey, since he is a creep, but…just weird. It's been the weirdest day ever."

She rolled her shoulders again, trying to relax them and trying to get the imprint of Joey's fingers off.

"What's up?" Shane, who had remained silent the entire time, not even wanting to speak, asked her.

"Nothing, it's nothing. I'd just…I don't know. I'd kill for a massage right now."

Shane let a small smile pass over his face as he patted the corner of his bed in front of him, inviting her over. She decided that she didn't really want to dwell too much on the fact that she'd be sitting in between _Shane Gray_'s legs, and just walked over mindlessly and sat down. Shane got on his knees behind her but before he could start, she craned her neck to look at him.

"When I say massage, I mean like…really, really gentle massage."

"Have you ever gotten a massage before, Mitch?" He smirked at her. She rolled her eyes and turned around and got on her knees, facing him.

"He was all…" She put her small hands on Shane's broad shoulders and while she realized that this was _nothing at all_ like what she had experienced with Joey, since she couldn't recall any bolts of lightning running through her veins with him as they were with Shane, but she tried to demonstrate the hold Joey had on her earlier. She gripped the space between his shoulder blades and his neck and gave a little shake with a smile. Then she realized there had been no smiling. So she gave a little growl.

"He did that?" Shane asked darkly.

"He growled?" Jason asked from his position on the floor, lying prone on his back, stretching his neck to see Mitchie. "He's like an animal!" He put his head back down. "I hate him."

"I hate him too, Jase," Mitchie agreed with a smile. "And no, there was no growling. I don't think. I think he stretched some muscles. I guess I don't use these muscles a lot." She rolled her shoulders back and forth, letting her hands fall from Shane's shoulders. "I should shrug more."

Shane had his serious face on, with his dark eyes looking deeply into Mitchie's and she knew she was about to have a talk. What kind of talk, she wasn't sure, but he definitely had a talking face on.

Apparently the others sensed this as well, because almost instantly Caitlyn flipped the TV in the corner on and the three of them became engrossed in an episode of Full House. If Shane didn't have such a serious face on, Mitchie would've laughed at her friends singing along with the theme song.

Shane sunk down from his knees and sat Indian style on the bed, motioning for Mitchie to do the same. Their knees touched in front of them and Mitchie swore she felt the lightning transfer from her to Shane. Remaining silent, Shane lifted his hands to Mitchie's neck and started softly kneading the skin there, moving up and down gently.

He continued for a few minutes, the silence never awkward. Their eyes would lock for long moments at a time and Mitchie felt…she wasn't sure. She felt like she disappointed him in some way. Finally, the guilt became too much and she broke the silence between the two of them.

"Are you mad at me?" She whispered, not meeting his eyes. Shane used his fingers on her neck to lift her head.

"Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know…you told me not to go."

"I told you that you didn't _have_ to go."

"That almost makes it worse! I didn't have to go, but I did. You should be mad that I…I don't know. That I put myself in that position."

"Do you want me to be mad?"

"No! Not at all! I just feel like I disappointed you in some way. Is that weird?"

"Disappointed, girl? Are you kidding me? I saw you knee him. Trust me, I was borderline proud."

"Borderline?"

"Yeah, well, I don't want to give you the idea that going around kneeing guys is okay…" He gave her a wink and a small smile to alleviate her doubts and she couldn't help but to return it.

"That was my first time," she said with a little grin.

"Kneeing someone?" She nodded. "Nice! I give it 8 marks out of 10."

"Just an 8? Why?"

"Well, he didn't throw up. And he probably can still have children."

"Crap," she muttered good-naturedly. "Next time, I'll wear my spiked kneepads."

"Hopefully there won't be a next time." And then Mitchie saw another shadow pass his face and she knew there was more to it than Shane's odd sense of pride.

"Are you sure you're not mad?"

"Do I seem mad?"

"…A little." He sighed at this, clearly unsure of how to phrase his feelings. Mitchie sensed his hesitance and she reached up and gently removed his hands from her neck and shoulders and held them in her own in her lap. "I didn't realize he was going to try anything. It was a stupid accident that I wish never happened."

"I'm not mad at _you_, Mitch. I'm mad at him. I'm mad at the entire situation. Just…not you. I could never be mad at you."

"Well, that's a lie," she teased.

"In this sort of situation," he amended, not really in the mood to joke. "I'm just glad you're okay, that's all. That Joey kid is a creep who needs to keep his hands to himself."

"You're telling me. Thanks for being there, though. It's always nice to know that you guys have my back, no matter what."

"And we do. No matter what."

Just then, there was a noise on the side of the house. Mitchie immediately stiffened, paranoid. _Was Joey really ballsy enough to come back?_

When she heard Jason and Nate start to snicker, she got even more confused. Were they not worried at all? Shane let out a huge sigh and a glare to his bandmates.

"What is that?" She whispered when it seemed like no one was going to explain things.

"It's nothing," Shane insisted.

Jason snorted from the floor and almost collapsed into giggles.

"Are you sure?" She tried again. Before he could answer, a flirty giggle from outside the cabin caught all their attention. Mitchie and Caitlyn exchanged shocked looks – it was a _girl_ outside the cabin? Trying to get their attention?

"Shane!" The voice outside whispered loudly. "I know you're in there! Come on, I'm freezing out here, the least you could do is let me in."

"She's freezing because she's wearing no clothes," Nate stated plaintively. He was annoyed with the girl's antics and had been since they got to camp.

"Do you know her?" Mitchie asked Shane.

"Not really. I never get a really good look at her, but I think she might be in one of my classes." He sighed, looking at the window wistfully, almost trying to just wish the girl away. "She's here every other day or so. Throwing rocks and trying to play Romeo and Juliet."

"You don't let her in?" Mitchie tried to hold back the smile threatening to spread over her face.

"No!" Shane looked amazed that she would even think that. "Jason wanted to in the beginning, but he has since changed his mind."

"She recites poetry sometimes," Jason piped up from the floor. "It's _really_ not good. I don't want her coming in here and doing that. We write music here!"

"She'll go away in a few minutes. She always does when we don't let her in." He swung one of their clasped hands in between the two of them to get her refocused. "Ignore her. What were we talking about anyway?"

"You were promising to give me your Fender, actually."

"Oh really?"

From there, the conversation drifted to less dicey things than their previous topic, ranging from Caitlyn's mini-meltdown (which felt like it had happened days ago, rather than mere hours) to Kylie and her father's dramatic scene. They were the only two in the room that didn't realize that they never let go of each others' hands.


	25. Hey ShaStephen

**A/N: So, has anyone ever heard of a 'rootkit?' I am pretty computer savvy and I hadn't heard of it, but that is apparently what my computer got and apparently it was a really awful virus aaaaand it really interfered with everything and I had to redownload my entire Operating System. And in the process, I lost everything I had ever typed ever. (Not really true, but I lost everything new I had typed on this computer compared to my backup Mac.)**

**That is why this is three thousand years too late and I hope you guys don't hate me too much. All my apologies – I've been so swamped with getting my stuff back for night class and all of my work documents and blah blah blah, unfortunately writing sort of took a back seat. I hope this is a good filler until I can write a nice long chapter for ya'll!**

* * *

The next day was uneventful – thank god – but all the kids were sad to see Mr. Torres leave. They had spent a good portion of the day with him; they had all gathered in Connie and Mitchie's cabin to work on the birdhouse since it was now common knowledge that Jason and Mitchie were in cohorts together. It wasn't finished yet, but it looked good considering. Her dad had brought some chiseled wood for the roof, giving it the illusion of actual shingles on it, and now all that was left to do was to attach the roof and some of the extras that would be on the outside and paint it. Jason was officially the happiest camper at Camp Rock.

Mitchie and her mom still had a little tension between them, although her dad swears that he told her mom the whole story and that she seemed to really regret pushing Joey onto her. But Mitchie knew that her mom wouldn't regret that – Joey was pretty much her dream man for her daughter to be involved with. Affluent, important, attractive – she knew that Connie felt like she was doing the right thing by encouraging the two of them.

They were lucky enough to manage no more Joey, Kylie _or_ Tess sightings for the whole day as well. After they bid Steve goodbye, with promises to see him soon at the Final Jam, the group finally split up. Nate was going to take Caitlyn down by the lake to practice some guitar and Jason wanted to spend some quality time with his birdhouse (Mitchie had a suspicion that he wasn't kidding, either). Mitchie excused herself from Shane, desperate to get some alone time in. She had been running short of that in the past week or so and with everything that had happened, she was practically bursting at the seams with song ideas and emotions. She spent the rest of the day writing fervently in her notebook and jotting down chord progressions. She was so involved with her writing that she didn't realize that she had completely missed dinner – both eating and setting up for it. Figuring that her mom would be angry either way, she quickly changed into her pajamas. _Let sleeping daughters lie,_ she thought hopefully as she snuggled down into her bed. Tomorrow was another day and another week.

"Are you sure it wasn't daylights savings time this weekend and no one told us?" Mitchie moaned as she slumped into her spot on the bench at lunch the next day. "I feel like today has been going in slow motion. I'm so tired."

"You went to bed at like, 8 last night!" Caitlyn pointed out.

"I'm over-tired. I'm also _over being tired_. I'm ready to wake up now, thanks."

"Where do you think the boys are?"

"If they're napping, I'll kill them," Mitchie mumbled, propping her head in her hands. "Hey, what's Lola doing with Tess?" Mitchie nodded towards the opposite side of the dining hall where Lola and Tess seemed to be in the middle of a somewhat serious conversation. "Are they friends?"

"Not that I know of." Caitlyn watched the two of them. This wasn't actually the first time she had noticed Lola with Tess. They seemed to be near each other a lot lately, now that she thought of it. And always in the middle of some sort of deep and mysterious talk that no one could overhear.

Lola looked up and locked eyes with Caitlyn before hurriedly saying her goodbyes to Tess and making her way to their table.

"Hey guys!" Lola said brightly, setting her stuff down on the free bench.

"Too. Happy." Mitchie managed to get out before resting her head on her arms folded in front of her. She had never been happier that she opted for the less stylish - yet super comfy - dark purple velour sweatsuit for the day.

"You and Tess seem to be buddy-buddy lately," Cait commented. Lola's eyes opened wide and before she could get a word out, Cait continued. "Is she trying to lure you to the dark side?"

"Is there any other side when it comes to Tess Tyler?" Lola laughed off Cait's question albeit a bit nervously.

"Seriously, what was up with that?" It wasn't that Caitlyn didn't trust Lola, but she didn't trust Tess Tyler.

"Just wanted to talk about the Jam this past weekend, that's all."

"I'm still sorry we missed your performance Saturday, Lo."

Mitchie nodded into her arms, agreeing with the sentiment.

"Ain't no thing. I'm sorry you two didn't get to perform. Did you guys have anything awesome planned?"

"Well, everything we do is awesome," Cait corrected her. "But I didn't have anything too crazy going on. Trying to save up all the good stuff for Final Jam, you know? And hey Mitchie – what were you going to perform?"

"Just an old song; I hadn't put a lot of thought into it this week." She lifted her head and forced it to stay up despite the urge to put it back down. She had no idea how she was going to manage to get through dance class with Shane.

"Are you going to do it next week?"

"I don't know – what's next week again?"

"You have to be the only camper here that doesn't know all of the Jams by heart," Lola told her exasperatedly.

"Hey, I'm sorry for being the new girl!" Mitchie teased. "So what is it?"

"Bubblegum Jam," Caitlyn threw out in between bites of her turkey sandwich, the distaste for the event evident in her voice.

"Not a fan, I take it?" Mitchie tried to muster the energy to eat her roast beef but she couldn't do it. Her arms were like lead.

"If I wanted to hear people butcher Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, I'd go to a karaoke bar, thanks."

"What's this I hear about karaoke?" Nate asked as he slid into the bench next to Caitlyn, followed closely by Shane and Jason.

"Caitlyn's just voicing her disdain for the Bubblegum Jam," Lola told the table. Mitchie let her head flop into her hands again.

"Aren't you going to eat, Mitchie?" Jason asked around his mouthful of sandwich.

"Too. Sleepy."

Shane pushed the sandwich towards her anyway.

"Gotta eat, Mitch."

"I wanna go to sleep."

"I want a million dollars."

Every person at the table gave Shane the side eyes.

"You _have_ a million dollars," Mitchie mumbled but forced herself to sit up, only to lean her head on Shane's shoulder as she went through the motions of eating her sandwich. Shane absentmindedly stroked her hair, satisfied that she was eating.

A few minutes later, in the midst of lunch, Shane's phone started to ring quite loudly, attracting the attention of the majority of the lunchroom.

"How do you even get service out here?" Caitlyn asked as she checked her phone. "I have like, negative three bars."

Shane let out a huge sigh when he saw who it was.

"It's Seth," he mouthed to Jason and Nate as he got up, answering it.

"What do you want?" Shane asked as he disentangled himself from the table and Mitchie, who hit his leg as he answered, scoffing at his greeting.

"Don't worry, Mitchie, Seth deserves that and more," Nate commented, gathering his stuff as well. "He's an ass."

Nate and Jason followed Shane out of the cafeteria, Jason trying to listen in next to Shane's ear, which only succeeded in him walking into the door as they left.

* * *

Mitchie and Cait made it through their next classes uneventfully, to Mitchie's delight. She finally started to feel normal by the end of guitar lessons and Brown had just given her some good news to top it off. She was selected to work with Shane on her vocals! The opportunity itself wasn't something that merited a lot of excitement – after all, she hung out with Shane all the time and she knew that he wouldn't have an issue if she wanted to work on her vocals with him. What her being selected meant that she had impressed _Brown_! All of a sudden all the praise he had given her in the previous weeks actually _meant_ something now. He told her that her classes would begin tomorrow night with Shane and she was officially excited to get started on a Final Jam project, although she was pretty sure that everyone else already had theirs all sorted out.

"These are so amazing, Mitchie!"

Caitlyn and Mitchie were lounging around in Caitlyn's cabin, which was currently unoccupied by her roommates. Mitchie was still reeling from Brown's good news and Caitlyn was going through her notebook of songs, reading through the lyrics, trying to imagine how they'd sound.

"How long have you been writing song?"

"For as long as I can remember, practically," Mitchie answered uninterestedly as she flipped through a recent edition of Rolling Stone. She wasn't even really reading it, but she kept flipping through it, wondering about Final Jam possibilities.

"Wow, they're great, though. Trust. Do you only write deep, emotional songs?"

Mitchie looked at her over the top of the magazine, trying to gauge her seriousness.

"You obviously haven't looked through the whole book."

"You mean there are some that are not Grammy nominee material?"

"Hah hah." Mitchie threw the magazine to the side and sat up. "Okay, I'll admit that I haven't written _many_ of them, but the love songs I write…ugh. So cheesy! No matter what I do, they always come out sounding so…blah."

"I thought you weren't 'in love' with your old boyfriend?"

"I wasn't…the songs I wrote about him were usually pretty bitter, actually." She scrunched her face. "Should've been my first clue."

"So you're saying that you've written some recently…"

Mitchie's cheeks heated up instantly.

"You have!" Caitlyn squealed. "Where? Which song?" She started rifling through the notebook, which Mitchie promptly snatched up.

"They're not exactly something I'm proud of," she explained. "They sound like…I don't know. Like teenage poetry."

"Isn't that sort of what it is?"

"I'd prefer if they sounded like a mature songstress wrote them, thank you very much."

"Play one for me," Caitlyn begged. "Please?"

"You'll laugh," Mitchie stated plaintively.

"I won't, I promise!"

"You will," Mitchie retorted, even though she reached for her guitar. "Trust me. Even _I_ can't make it through one without laughing."

"Well, that's okay then. We can laugh together!"

Caitlyn's excitement was contagious and Mitchie found herself smiling and shaking her head at her. She flipped through her notebook until she got to some of the last pages, where she had hid this song.

"Ugh, the lyrics are pathetic." She gave a side glance to Caitlyn. "You're not secretly recording me this time, are you?"

"Nope…do you want me to?"

"Gah, no! I don't want anyone except us to hear this song. Ever. It's so mushy and girly and…lame."

"Well now I can't wait to hear it! What's it called?"

Mitchie blushed deeper, if that was possible. "…_Hrph meebin_," she mumbled.

"What? I didn't catch that."

"…_Hey Stephen_," she repeated, clearer.

"Stephen? Who's…hey, isn't that Shane's middle-"

"Shut up."

"What? No, I…" Caitlyn bit her lip to keep herself from smiling too big. She clasped her hands and placed them in her lap and looked up at Mitchie innocently. "Please continue!"

Mitchie rolled her eyes at her friend but started to strum her guitar. This is how she knew she was in a great mood, since she couldn't see herself singing this song for anyone normally. She nodded along goofily, trying to make Cait laugh as she hummed the first bit.

"_Hey, Stephen I know looks can be deceiving but I know I saw a light in you_

_As we walked, we were talking, I didn't say half the things I wanted to. _

_Of all the girls tossing rocks at your window, I'll be the one waiting there even when it's cold _

_Hey Stephen, boy you might have me believing I don't always have to be alone."_

Caitlyn tapped along to the beat and nodded her own head, smiling at Mitchie. The song might not have been as thought provoking as some her other ones, but Caitlyn thought it said more about Mitchie than maybe she even realized.

"_Cause I can't help it if you look like an angel, _

_Can't help it if I wanna kiss you in the rain, _

_So come feel this magic I've been feeling since I met you. _

_Can't help it if there's no one else – I can't help myself_"

Mitchie sang and rolled her eyes at her feeble lyrics. She got up, slinging the guitar strap over her head and started putting on a little show for Caitlyn – moving around the cabin, getting into it, even if it was ridiculously corny.

"_Hey Stephen, I've been holding back this feeling but I got something to say to you. _

_I've seen it all, or so I thought, but I've never seen nobody shine the way you do. _

_The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you say my name: it's beautiful, wonderful, don't you ever change. _

_Hey Stephen, why are people always leaving? I think you and I should stay the same_."

Caitlyn got up from her desk chair and sang along to what she now knew as the chorus, her smooth alto voice synching in perfectly, still clapping to the beat.

"_They're dimming the street lights,_

_You're perfect for me, _

_why aren't you here toni-ight? _

_I'm waiting alone now,_

_So come on and come out and pull me near _

_And shine, shine, shine!"_

Caitlyn was trying so hard not to laugh at her best friend's antics, which involved spinning around the room whilst trying to play the guitar and sing simultaneously. Mitchie stopped spinning and actually looked a little serious as she opened her mouth next, only a small smile playing on her mouth.

"_Hey Stephen, I could give you fifty reasons why I should be the one you choose. _

_All those other girls, well, they're beautiful – but would they write a song for you?_"

Caitlyn shook her head vehemently at this and Mitchie couldn't help the laugh that escaped her at that.

"_I can't help it if you look like an angel, _

_Can't help it if I wanna kiss you in the rain, _

_So come feel this magic I've been feeling since I met you. _

_Can't help it if there's no one else – I can't help myself."_

Caitlyn and Mitchie danced around the room barely getting the lyrics out as they embraced their playfulness to the extreme. As they finished (Mitchie was on the bed, somehow, and Caitlyn was spinning around in a swivel chair), they heard clapping from the door. Fearing the worst, Mitchie felt her stomach drop from her body.

Lola. It was Lola standing in the doorway, clapping with a huge smile on her face. Mitchie had never felt such relief as she felt in that moment.

"Oh, thank god, Lola! I thought you were, I don't know, someone terrible." Her words were rushed and garbled as she plopped back down on the bed, her heart still racing from the almost-embarrassment.

"Someone like Stephen?" Lola asked with a grin as she made her way inside, setting down her bag on her bed.

"Oh, no, no, there's no Stephen. Stephen is fictional."

"So no Stephen, but maybe a Shane, right? Isn't Stephen his middle name?"

"How does everyone know that right off the bat? Am I the only person at Camp Rock that had to literally search the recesses of her brain to remember his middle name? You two are pathetic," Mitchie ribbed playfully, hoping for Lola to drop the subject. No such luck.

"Hey, we're not the ones who just wrote a song about him, are we?"

"It's not about –"

"Girl, don't even try to tell me it's about anyone else except Shane Gray. I can't afford to be this pretty and that naïve."

Mitchie hung her head, accepting defeat. After all, it wasn't like she was telling Kylie or Tess she wrote songs about Shane. Lola had proven herself to be trustworthy.

"It's just one song, Lola. It doesn't even mean anything."

"It doesn't mean anything but it's catchy as hell!"

"That's what I thought, too!" Caitlyn piped up. "Mitchie thought this song wasn't that great, can you believe it?"

"You know what I can't believe?" Mitchie wanted to be anywhere but there. "That we are actually having this conversation. Isn't there something else we can be doing?"

"Well what we _can_ be doing is eating dinner," Lola told them as she stripped off her tank top in front of them and put a new, silver striped one on. "I just came back to change before going."

"I will never understand why you change some part of your outfit before dinner every day, Lola," Caitlyn wondered aloud as the three made their way out of the cabin and towards dinner, the cabin abandoned.

"A girl's got to make a good entrance, doesn't she? It may not be a first impression, but it's an impression, right?"

The trio laughed to themselves as they made their way to dinner, having a brief moment where they felt good about life.

* * *

"So, scale of one to ten, how excited are you that I get to work with you on your vocals?"

It was Tuesday night and Mitchie had been waiting for her private session with Shane all day. She was surprised to see him in Brown's classroom before her; she was convinced that she was 10 minutes early, at least. A quick glance at her watch told her that she was indeed that early, but if Shane was there too, why wait?

"I would say a 9. But I'd be careful, Mr. Gray. Soon you'll be asking _me_ to work on _your _vocals," she teased as she set her bag down next to the piano he was sitting at.

"Hmmm, might be sooner than you think," Shane said cryptically. He cracked his knuckles as she sat next to him on the bench and looked at her expectantly. "So, show me what you got."

A blank face stared back at him.

"What I've got? For what?"

"Well…I don't know. Final Jam, I guess?"

Mitchie pulled a hesitant face.

"You don't have anything," he surmised.

"It's not that I don't have _anything_, it's just…I don't have anything solid." She let out a sigh. "I have like, all these parts of songs, but I can't seem to put them together. It's like I'm missing key pieces of the puzzle."

"Let's hear some of the pieces and maybe I can help you add to them, ok?"

She nodded and pulled out her songbook, eager to get someone else's perspective.

"That one's pretty perfect," Shane commented after Mitchie played the last key of yet another song.

"I guess it's not that bad, but I don't know…I sort of wanted my Final Jam song to be more accessible and personal, all at the same time. I only have a few songs that fit the bill with that one and none of them are really Jam-ready."

"What about…you know. That one."

Mitchie instantly knew which song Shane was thinking of, and shook her head, although the thought had already occurred to her.

"I thought about it, but I really can't see myself performing that in front of a lot of people and holding it together."

"Fair enough," Shane conceded and gave her shoulders a squeeze in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He knew she was getting frustrated, but he had no idea how to help her.

"There is another one, but I don't think it's ready. It's another one of those 'piece-y' ones."

"Show me," he quietly urged. Mitchie hesitated before opening her song book, unsure if this was a good idea.

"What's wrong? Have I heard this song before?"

"Not…exactly."

"Then what is it?"

"It's um…inspired by you." Shane's incredulous look earned him an elbow to the side. "Hey, you're not the only one who is capable of listening when someone else speaks."

"Not when someone else speaks. When _you_ speak. That's when I listen."

Mitchie tried to ignore the flush spreading across her cheeks and as she bit the inside of her lip.

"Well, I don't pretend to be inspired by just anyone, but this specific song is due to something you said to me once…"

Shane didn't like her tone of voice.

"Oh, no. What did I say?" Anxiety seeped into his bones. "Was I a jerk? I deserve anything you write about me, I know that now."

"You…you're not a jerk. And it's not a bad song," she reassured him. "But you did tell me once to find out who I was. And I'm not sure if I know yet, but I think I'm finding out. I owe a lot of that to you."

"To me?"

Mitchie felt her face heat up and instantly shielded herself with her hair.

"Well, you know, you, and Cait, and Jason and Nate. All of you are really great. I've never had friends like this."

"You're the great one, Mitch," Shane said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. Their eyes met and something sparked between them. Just when Mitchie was seriously contemplating leaning in, Shane flashed a smile at her, breaking the moment. "And I'm sure this song is great, too!"

"Yeah. Um, yeah. Hopefully. Maybe. We'll see." She could've slapped herself for seeing something that wasn't there. She mentally chastised herself and then straightened up, sliding her songbook back onto the piano and doing her best to ignore the warm presence next to her.

She avoided his eyes and began to play the piano as she opened her mouth to sing. No more Shane, no more Camp, no nothing. Just her.

"_I've always been the kind of girl_

_That hid my face_

_So afraid to tell the world_

_What I've got to say_

_But I have this dream_

_Right inside of me_

_I'm gonna let it show_

_It's time to let you know_

_This is real, this is me_

_I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now_

_Gonna let the light shine on me_

_Now I've found who I am_

_There's no way to hold it in_

_No more hiding who I want to be_

_This is me…"_

"I know, it's sort of rough, and I think I might have another verse to follow that chorus, but I'm having a hard time finding a bridge, and I think it might be too slow for Final Jam, but what do I know? So what do you-"

As she finally turned to face Shane and get his opinion, his soft lips cut off her rambling.

Shane Gray was kissing her.


	26. Walk Away

**A/N: Hah. Okay, I did not realize where I had left off and that is my fault. My b, everyone. Anyways – if you're still reading, thank you! Here's a new chapter! I totally don't blame you if you are like, "really, eff this story and her sporadic updates." My apologies.**

**To everyone who sent a really nice review with an understanding message about how life can be crazy – thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. Those mean more than you know and it is so refreshing to see one of those amidst a sea of "Update asap plz." School started back up, my boyfriend moved away, and my mother moved in with me. It's...great...?  
**

**Read read read and I won't take long to update the next part. LOVE YOU ALL.**

**P.S. Follow me on Twitter if you want to read the semi-coherent-yet-sometimes-drunk ramblings of a 21 year old with a chaotic life! The_Resolution. I get real chatty though…**

* * *

Her eyes closed almost instantly. She couldn't explain it. She knew she would never be able to; it was just one of those things. One of those perfect, irreplaceable, unforgettable things. At least, it was. Until he pulled away from her, a look of shock evident on his face.

"I, um, I shouldn't….um."

Mitchie could feel her heart break with every word he fumbled over.

"I've got to…"

And then he was gone. She watched all of his fluid movements in silence, unable to move or speak, even if she wanted to. He stood swiftly, didn't spare her another glance and then the screen door was slamming, leaving her alone in the large room with the piano.

"What just happened?" She wondered weakly, with no one to answer her.

* * *

She eventually moved from her frozen spot at the piano, not particularly looking forward to going back to her cabin where she was sure to be bombarded with questions about the night. Questions that she most certainly could not – and would not – answer.

She hastily left the classroom, cringing as the piano bench scraped the floor loudly as she stood up. Desperate to get out of there, she practically ran to the door, not even sure of a destination.

She ended up by the shore, sitting on a short rock wall that divided the beach from the walking paths. She dangled her feet above the rocky sand, a solid three foot drop between them and the ground, trying to make sense of her thoughts.

Nothing made sense to her. Why would he kiss her if he didn't want to? Why did he kiss her then? Did he feel guilty for the song? She could've sworn he wanted to kiss her earlier, so why then? Why at that moment? She was so conflicted; it was giving her a headache. Should she be happy that he kissed her, or sad that he _bolted_ afterwards? It was a terribly confusing situation.

She put her head in her hands and groaned. It was all messed up now. Nothing was going to be the way it was. And to top it off, she hadn't gotten his opinion on the song.

"You did _what_?"

Mitchie whipped around at the noise behind her, but the movement threw her somewhat precarious balance off and despite her attempts to grasp the stones, she toppled off the wall.

"Mothereffer!" She cursed quietly, feeling her ankle twist painfully beneath her. The voices that had been coming towards her stopped when she had let out a yelp prior to her tumble, but as she cradled her ankle, they started up, and they unknowingly numbed the pain for a minute.

"I kissed her."

Shane. Shane damn Gray. And from the sounds of the gasps (was it normal to recognize people from their gasps?), Jason and Nate were accompanying him.

"Why did you do that?"

Mitchie almost scoffed aloud at that – Jason made it sound like he had detonated a bomb. He had just kissed her!

"I don't know."

She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but she wasn't sure if she could put pressure on her ankle and she was not in the mood for an awkward encounter with Shane so soon after the…incident. So she remained silent, gripping her ankle and straining her ears as the voices grew closer.

"Because you like her, jackass."

_Thanks, Nate. Succinct and precisely what I was wondering_, Mitchie thought.

"I don't know."

_Not as much help as I had anticipated._

"What do you mean, you don't know? It's a yes or no question, Shane." Nate was quickly becoming Mitchie's favorite person.

"It's not that simple! It doesn't matter what I feel. I didn't come here looking for a girlfriend. I don't have _time_ for a girlfriend."

"You're at summer camp, dude. All you _have_ is time." Okay, Jason was tied with Nate.

"It's complicated," Shane gritted out.

"Sounds like you're making it complicated," Jason stated, sounding bored with the conversation.

"Sounds like you don't know what you're talking about."

Shane sounded thoroughly over this topic. Mitchie couldn't fathom pulling herself up enough and scaling the wall to see the trio, but she could practically see it all in her head. Shane getting testy, Jason holding his hands out in front of him in a non-confrontational gesture and Nate standing with his hands on his hips, looking put out with Shane. It was so familiar, she could've smiled. Had she not been in excruciating pain, both physically and emotionally.

"Maybe I don't," Jason said in his quiet, soothing voice. "But Mitchie is a great girl and I'd hate for you to lose your chance because you were too 'busy' for a girlfriend. At summer camp." There was no mistaking the disbelief in Jason's voice, but Shane let it slide.

"I know. I know, but…I don't know."

"_'Cause that makes sense,_" Nate muttered.

"It's been a long time since I've had a girlfriend. What if I can't even do this right?"

"Since when do you care about doing something _right?_ Usually you just…do it." Jason rested his hand on the rock wall, unintentionally giving Mitchie a little finger wave.

"This is really important."

"Yeah, sounds like it is really important to you by the way you left her in the cabin…"

Nate snorted at Jason's comment, earning the exasperation from the man in question.

"Gah!" Mitchie found herself smiling despite herself, picturing Shane running his hands frustratedly through his hair. "I'm gonna go for a walk. I just…I don't know. I need to think."

Mitchie heard footsteps getting farther away and was left with a very large dilemma of how the hell she was going to get back to her cabin with her gimp leg. She slowly made her way to her knees, gripping the rock wall for balance.

"He is such an idiot sometimes," Nate's voice came from right above her, causing her to lose her grip and topple over, not quietly.

"Jesus Christ," she muttered as she tried to situate herself. She looked up at the rock wall, half hoping to not see what she knew was coming.

Jason and Nate poked their heads over the wall and looked down, instantly seeing Mitchie's prone form, one hand gripping her ankle, the other giving a little wave.

"Mitchie?" They exclaimed in unison, which would've been cute, had she not had tears in her eyes from the strain put on her leg.

"Hey guys," she managed to get out. "How's it going?"

They ignored her question and quickly jumped the wall onto the sand to be next her – not an easy feat, even if you're prepared for said jump. Jason could just barely see over the rock wall as he landed softly on the ground.

"What are you doing down here?" Nate asked as he crouched down beside her.

"Not eavesdropping! I didn't mean to overhear, I was just – I was sitting on the wall and then I heard you guys and it surprised me and I slipped and I fell on my ankle and…oops."

"Are you okay?" Jason knelt beside her and gently touched her ankle.

"I don't think it's broken, just a sprain or something. I twisted it a little…"

Nate put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you really okay? Shane told us…"

"Yeah, well…" She didn't really know what to say, but Jason and Nate looked on, waiting for her to say _something_. "He spoke more to you guys about it than me. He sort of just…walked away. Or, okay. Ran away. He definitely _ran_ away."

"What a bastard," Nate commented as he looked around, contemplating how to get Mitchie out of there.

"Hey, it's fine guys. Really. No harm, no foul."

"_This_," Nate gestured to her ankle, "Is foul."

"No harm, no chicken?"

"No chicken, Jase. Not this time." Mitchie appreciated Jason's lighthearted comments now more than ever.

"Well there are more than one type of bird classified as 'fowl,' you know. There's gamefowl and landfowl, and –"

"That's great, Jason, but how about we figure out how to get Mitchie back to her cabin before you start educating us on the different biological orders of birds, okay?"

"Right. Good thinking."

"Guys, I'm fine," Mitchie insisted. "See, I can – "

She tried to put pressure on her ankle, using both Nate and Jason's shoulders as leverage, but couldn't. It twisted painfully beneath her and she was caught underneath the arms as she faltered off balance.

"What were you saying?" Nate asked bemusedly.

"You don't seem very fine."

"Okay, okay. Not so fine. Can you _please_ help me back to my cabin? And possibly avoid any jerky popstars," she added softly.

"Aye aye, captain." Nate positioned himself for Mitchie to drape an arm over his shoulders, motioning for Jason to do the same.

They slowly made their way down the beach, as they had no conceivable way to get back up the rock wall without stairs. The conversation was kept light and teasing, mostly with Jason talking about fowl or the fact that Mitchie wasn't a captain. (After all, if Nate knew that, why did he say it?)

"Finally, cabins!" Mitchie joked as they saw the first lights of the staff cabins a bit up the path. Mitchie's arms were beginning to hurt, due to the fact that she was drastically shorter than both Jason and Nate, and her ankle had developed a dull throb. Lying down in bed and pretending today never happened seemed like the best course of action possible.

"All that not walking tire you out?" Nate kidded.

"I'm exhausted!" Jason exclaimed, talking over Mitchie's humble response. "Mitchie must weigh a solid 45 pounds. My arm hurts."

The group burst out laughing at this, Mitchie included.

"If you weren't carrying me, I'd trip you, Jase!"

"With what? Your one good leg?"

She giggled at that. "Yeah. My good leg would take you down!"

They were all so busy laughing that they didn't realize the figure standing in the middle of the path. Shane watched from a few yards away, unsure of what to do. He had no idea what had happened to Mitchie and he was insanely curious, desperate to know that she was okay, but on the other hand – did he have any right? He had just kissed her and virtually abandoned her.

He made his decision hastily, as he noticed that his presence had yet to be detected. He moved off the path and up the stairs to his cabin, but didn't go in, deciding rather to lean against the rail and watch from the sidelines.

They grew closer and closer, and then…nothing. No acknowledgement. Not even from Jason. He knew that at least one of them had to be aware of his somewhat creepy presence, but none of them dignified him with a look.

_Was he really that much of an asshole?_

Yes.

The answer was irrefutable; he really _was_ that much of an asshole. As the trio helped Mitchie hobble up the steps to her own cabin, he stalked back into his own cabin, the slamming door not satisfying in the least.

"Mitchie, what happened?" Connie Torres cried as her daughter hopped through the cabin door, aided by two thirds of Connect 3.

"Tripped," Mitchie mutter quickly, not wanting to get into her ridiculous night.

"Mija, you are so clumsy!"

"I thought your name was Mitchie?"

Everyone ignored Jason.

"Can I just be deposited on my bed? I'm developing this sort of _throb_…"

"Oh, right!" Nate hit Jason upside the head and motioned to Mitchie's bed. After they had put her down and endured a few more minutes of small talk with Connie, she excused herself to go get painkillers and an ACE bandage for Mitchie's ankle.

Connie had been gone for maybe a minute when Caitlyn and Lola burst into the cabin, panting like they ran a mile.

"She is _not_ bleeding from the head, Jason!" Cait screeched after seeing Mitchie propped up in bed, looking slightly peaky but blood-free.

"Huh?" Mitchie looked to Jason, who shrugged sheepishly.

"I wanted to make sure they came when I texted them…"

"Jason!" Lola sounded thoroughly exasperated with the eldest Connect 3 member, who again, just shrugged.

Mitchie laughed and absorbed the feeling of being with her friends, letting it overshadow her experience with Shane for a few minutes.

"As you can see, I'm fine guys. Who knows, maybe I'll even write a sprain ballad-" Mitchie cut herself off as her face dropped.

"What's up?" Cait asked, flopping down next to her.

"My songbook. I left it in the cabin with Shane."

"Oh, I'm sure Shane would have grabbed it then," Cait dismissed her.

"No, I didn't leave it _with_ Shane, I just left it…in the cabin Shane and I were. I need to go get it!"

"What you _need_ is to lie down." Nate pushed her down from his position next to her.

"Don't worry about it, girl," Lola piped up. "I'll go get it for you. It's yellow, right? Has your name written on it?"

"_Yes_. Ohmygosh, thank you so much, Lola. I left it on the piano. It was open to a page but it should be lying right on the piano. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Lola shot a grin to the group and scurried out. Mitchie let out a huge sigh and laid back in her pile of pillows. Today had utterly and completely exhausted her.

She took this time to fill Caitlyn in – albeit briefly and leaving out a host of details concerning her emotional state – regards to her and Shane's mini-drama. It wasn't that she didn't trust Lola, she did; she just didn't want this to turn into a big deal. _As if it wasn't already_.

Connie came back shortly after, wrapped her ankle up and then excused herself once more to go fill out some paperwork at the nurse's office. Despite being the cook's daughter, Mitchie supposed the same steps had to be taken for everyone.

Lola burst in about fifteen minutes after she had left, which was a little bit longer

than Mitchie had anticipated, but it wasn't the time that concerned Mitchie, it was the look on her face.

"Oh no," Mitchie began, seeing the nervous and concerned look on Lola.

"I'm sorry, Mitchie, but…"

"It wasn't there?" She was trying not to freak out. Like, really, _really_ trying. It was proving to be really, _really_ tough.

"I looked everywhere, I really did. On the piano and around the entire room. Heck, I even looked _in _the piano!"

"Hey, I bet Shane doubled back and got it," Nate suggested.

"Can you go check? Please?"

Nate and Jason ran to their cabin, hoping that Shane was there and hoping against all hopes that he had Mitchie's songbook. They returned shortly after, sullen and disheartened.

"No luck?" Mitchie asked, despite already knowing the answer.

The boys shook their heads.

"He does want to talk to you, though…"

"Nate, there is a list of things I would like to do right now, but unfortunately, talking to Shane isn't on the list of them." She forced the tears back that were threatening to spill over. She knew she was tired and in pain and that she was making a bigger deal than it really was. But then she thought about how all of her secrets, all of her insecurities, all of her…all of her _life_ was in that one book, and how she didn't know where it was and that all went out the window.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Mitchie," Lola repeated for the thirtieth time.

"It's not your fault, don't worry. I mean, it's not like you stole it from me. I just wish I knew where it was."

"Yeah," Lola shifted her weight. "Look, I could stand here and apologize all night, but I'm sort of beat. I'll see you all tomorrow, right?" The group nodded and Lola gave Mitchie one last sad smile. "Feel better, okay? I'll keep an eye out tomorrow."

The boys left shortly after Lola, leaving just Cait sitting on the foot of Mitchie's bed.

"So," Cait began.

"So."

A beat passed.

"What am I going to do, Caity?" Mitchie couldn't hold it in any longer. She had already had the day from hell, and then her songbook going missing to top it off? She was at her wit's end. The tears escaped and it was all she could do to keep from full blown sobbing.

"Oh, it's gonna be okay, Mitchie, don't worry." Caitlyn scooted up the bed and hugged her tightly, letting her cry on her shoulder. "We'll find your songbook, I promise. And Shane's an idiot. We all knew this before we even came here. He's probably scared of how much he likes you and now he's torn up about what to do. He'll come around sooner or later, don't worry."

"He said he didn't have time for a girlfriend. So what am I then? Does he not have time for me at all?"

"You really like him, don't you?" Cait asked in a very soothing, un-Cait like voice.

"More than I should. I don't have to be his girlfriend, Cait. But I want him in my life." She buried her head in her hands with Cait wrapping an arm around her shoulder. It was going to be a long night.


	27. Hidden

**A/N: Don't throw things, I'm here with an update, I promise! It has been forever since I updated and I know that and I'm super apologetic. Crazy things have happened since then, so if anyone has any advice on how to get over your boyfriend of two years dumping you, I'd be really open to anything at this point… **

**But more importantly – HERE IT IS. Another chapter. Another day in the saga de Mitchie. I'm a writing fool guys. Can't stop won't stop! Enjoy!**

Mitchie grimaced as she made her way to the cafeteria the next morning. She was trying to think of reasons to be happy on this perfectly good Wednesday, but she was drawing a blank. Her songbook that doubled as a diary was missing; the guy of her dreams that had kissed her last night was in the wind; she had no idea who was going to publicly humiliate her today but it was an inevitable fact, and to top it off: she was using goddamn crutches.

Her ankle wasn't any better when she woke up early to help out in the kitchen (anything to get her mind off of her _life_), so Connie had gotten her some crutches to hobble around with for the day. Because _that_ was really going to elevate her social status.

So, instead of hiding out in the kitchen for the first part of the morning, she was instead told by her loving mother to not worry about helping out and to just eat in the kitchen like a normal camper. If Mitchie knew nothing else, she knew that she was not a normal camper. Did normal campers kiss their celebrity instructors? Did normal campers get publicly humiliated daily by their peers? Did normal campers go to class with crutches?

Definitely not.

She managed to get to the cafeteria unnoticed, or at least not tripped, but hesitated before opening the doors to go in. Could she really do this?

"Aw, is little Mitchie scared?"

Tess Tyler's voice, like nails on a chalkboard, came from behind her. Before she could turn around and say something, the door directly in front of her started to swing towards her. Instantly off her balance, she hopped backwards on her one good foot and tried to turn around, but she wasn't steady enough with her crutches. She twisted but one crutch left the ground and twisted faster than her…directly into Tess Tyler's legs. Tess Tyler's legs, clad in three-inch heels and jeggings that looked tighter than latex. Apparently they restricted her movement just as much as they looked, because she suddenly pitched forward with the jolt from the crutch, right into the camper that had just walked out of the caf. The camper with the full plate of French toast coated in syrup and fruit salad.

The shriek heard round the world happened instantaneously. Mitchie knew her shocked look mirrored Ella and Peggy's, who were standing a few feet behind Tess, as per usual. She didn't even laugh at the spectacle in front of her, she was so stunned how quickly the events happened.

Tess was making noises only heard from cats under duress as she dripped syrup from her nose. Mitchie eventually found her voice and her balance.

"I am _so_ sorry, Tess! I honestly didn't mean to, I was just surprised and…um…" She looked around trying to find a friendly face to ease the tension that was radiating in her pores. Instead, all she found were glares and some shocked eyes.

"Ugh! You!"

Mitchie noticeably shirked back.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're _sorry_? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get _syrup_ out of _hair_?" Mitchie opened her mouth to inform her that she actually did, since Tess had recently dumped a stack of pancakes on her, but she was cut off before she could get a word out. "Nevermind! It doesn't matter!"

"…It doesn't?"

"No, it doesn't." Tess was eerily calm. "You want to know why that is, Torres?"

_Not really_.

"Um…why?"

"Because if you think you're sorry now, you have _no_ idea how sorry you are going to be later. You have just made the biggest mistake of your pathetic stay at Camp Rock. You messed with the wrong girl, Mitchie Torres!"

A toss of sticky hair, splattering Mitchie in the face, and a stamp of her heel and Tess took off in the opposite direction. Apologetic faces from Peggy and Ella were the last thing she saw as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I never should have woken up this morning," she muttered before heading into the cafeteria.

* * *

Breakfast wasn't as bad as it could have been. Curious glances from all the campers, but no Tess (although she was sure that was going to come and bite her in the ass) and Kylie Stiles seemed to be having a late morning as well. She ate with Caitlyn – no Lola, which was strange – and no boys from Connect 3, which was disappointing. She could have used some of Jason's blind optimism right about then.

But things were quiet that day. Too quiet, she would later learn. After vocal lessons with Brown, Caitlyn and Mitchie made their way back to Mitchie's cabin for her to change her pants. (Kylie accidentally had packets of ketchup in her purse and they accidentally fell on Mitchie's chair, already open, so that it looked as if she had…well. Accidentally, of course.) She opted for shorts as the heat was climbing and as her and Caitlyn forged ahead to the mess hall, slowly due to Mitchie's crutches, they quickly realized they were heading the wrong way.

When the tenth person hustled past them in the opposite direction, towards the beach, Mitchie knew it wasn't just a coincidence.

"Are we supposed to be somewhere?" She asked Cait, stopping in the middle of the path.

"Okay, you noticed that too?"

"Where is everyone going?" Mitchie wondered when yet another group of people scurried around them, again heading towards the beach.

"Let's go see," Cait suggested, although the look she gave her stomach led Mitchie to believe she wanted to do anything _but_ explore the intricacies of campers.

They arrived to the stage at the beach, surprised to see the place milling with campers. No counselors or teachers seemed to be anywhere, although Mitchie did see Shane and the other members of Connect 3 across the clearing. Their eyes met briefly but Mitchie was determined to not let him know that he had any effect on her. If he was going to be completely indifferent to the point of extreme apathy, so was she.

"What is this?" Caitlyn muttered under her breath. "Is lunch out here today? Because if so, I need a sandwich. Stat."

"Lunch is in the mess hall," Mitchie said distractedly. She had spotted Tess Tyler making her way to the stage and she knew then that this was not going to be good for her.

"Hi guys," Tess called out, unaided by a microphone, since this _wasn't a real event_. Everyone quieted down quickly, to Mitchie's dismay. Couldn't these campers be normal kids, just for once?

"I know you're all probably wondering what you're doing here, but I promise you, it'll be good." Her eyes met Mitchie's and with a glare, Tess smirked and continued. "Camp Rock is all about sharing, right? Well, I decided to share something with you. Something I know you will all enjoy."

"Wanna make a bet?" Caitlyn called out, but was brushed off with an eye roll.

"Ahem," Tess cleared her throat. And then she unfolded a piece of paper in her hand and began.

She recognized it at once. It took Caitlyn a little bit longer, but Mitchie could tell with every word, her jaw would drop just a little more, until Caitlyn finally looked towards Mitchie.

"This is _not_ good."

"Yeah, well I'm about to make it a _whole lot_ less good." Mitchie gritted her teeth, angrier than she had ever been.

"Mitchie…"

"No, Caitlyn," Mitchie whispered harshly to her friend. "This is _ridiculous_. She has my songbook! And she is up there reading it for the entire camp! I am not going to let her ruin this summer for me more than she already has."

"I just don't think-"

"I am done with thinking! Hold these. Please." Mitchie thrust her crutches into Caitlyn's hands.

"Why don't you want these? What about your ankle?"

"I don't trust myself not to hit her upside the head with those if I have them with me."

And with that, Caitlyn was left to watch her newfound best friend storm to the front of the crowd that had gathered at the stage. She felt powerless, which was a very rare occurrence for her. She was used to being the impulsive one; she was the one who did things with reckless abandon. Not Mitchie!

"Nate," she hissed, which was easily heard over the silent crowd, hanging on every one of Tess Tyler's words. His head snapped to hers and her wide eyes led him to follow Mitchie's trek through the crowd. If she was in pain, she wasn't showing it, she was simply storming through anyone in her way.

"This can't be good," Nate whispered.

"Is that Mitchie?" Jason watched Nate's eyes moving through the crowd.

"What's she doing?" Shane piped in, his voice belying his concern.

"What do you care?" Jason bit back.

"Shut up!"

Nate knew that both of the guys cared for Mitchie, albeit in different ways, but they weren't going to get anywhere with both of them fighting.

"They're dimming the street lights, you are perfect for me, why aren't you here tonight?" Tess was reading her lyrics as if they were awkward, stilted poetry. Not making an effort to even finding a rhyming scheme or a rhythm, she was just plowing through it.

"Stop it." Mitchie's strong voice came from directly below Tess, drawing the crowd's attention. Tess felt this grin spread over her face; this was going exactly how she had planned.

"Can I help you?" Tess smiled innocently towards the crowd.

"Give me my notebook, right now."

"What notebook?"

"Do _not_ play with me right now, Tess. Give it to me."

The crowd was starting to murmur but Mitchie couldn't bring herself to care. This was her life she was talking about.

"I don't _have_ your book, Mitchie. I just have this paper," she held it out and it was promptly ripped away by Mitchie.

"Where's the book?"

"You know, I thought you'd be happy, _Mitch_," Tess flashed a showy grin to the crowd. "I mean, I know you were having trouble getting your music out there for people to hear. I just wanted people to know that you wrote 'Hey Stephen.'"

Silence. You could have heard a pin drop.

"Hey," Tess pretended that this thought was _just_ occurring to her. "Isn't Stephen Shane Gray's middle name? Oh, god, did I just blow that in front of everyone?"

And so it began; the murmuring started softly but grew quickly. Mitchie couldn't catch what was being said, but she knew that everyone was making the connection. Everyone was seeing this one side of her that she wanted to keep private.

"The book, Tess."

"No can do, Torres," she spat as her true personality shone through for a brief moment before another smile was pasted on her face. "I thought you'd be happy!"

"Yeah, 'cause you're the expert at happiness, right Tess?" Mitchie was trying to rein herself in and it took a lot of self-control to not turn into the bitch she so desperately wanted to be. "If you were happy for _one millisecond _maybe you wouldn't find the need to be **miserable**to everyone who doesn't bow down at your feet. If that's what it takes to be happy," she bit out, "I have absolutely _no_ desire to be happy like you."

With that she turned and stormed away, no longer pushing through people, as campers backed away from the look on her face. She was almost to the edge of the crowd when searing pain shot up her leg as her knee connected with the dirt. She caught her fall with her hands, and for a brief second she was thankful for the gravel digging into her palms, as it let her focus on something that wasn't the horridness she felt inside.

She looked up and was unsurprised with what she was met with.

"Sorry," Kylie Stiles said without even looking up from her nails. There was a hint of laughter in her voice which only served to make Mitchie angrier. Before she could say anything though, Caitlyn was rushing up beside her.

"Excuse me," she said in the same bored tone as Kylie, as Mitchie watched, still on all fours on the ground, unsure how to get up without help. Caitlyn took one purposeful step to the side towards Kylie and then ground her heel into Kylie's open toed sandals. She barely had time to react before things started to get out of hand.

Kylie gasped in pain and indignation and shoved Caitlyn as hard as she could away from her, into the surrounding crowd. Mitchie knew that Caitlyn would never take that, but her pleas went unanswered. Cait whipped around and before she could lunge at Kylie and show her exactly why she had the reputation she did, she was swept off her feet by one Nate Black.

"Okay, that's enough, let's go," he said softly, trying to lead a still struggling Caitlyn away from the fray as Jason helped Mitchie up gently. Disappointed groans from the crowd lingered as they realized that there wouldn't be a cat fight, but Nate resolutely ignored them and led the girls away from the stage.

Once they were a safe distance away, Nate let a somewhat distraught Caitlyn out of his grasp, baffled when she didn't want to run back and fight Kylie but instead was running around the trees that led to the forest.

"They were right here, I swear!"

"What was?" Jason asked from his spot beside Mitchie, who was heavily leaning on him.

"The crutches! I left them resting on this tree when I went to go help Mitchie!"

"Are you sure?"

Caitlyn just gave Nate a scathing look.

Mitchie remained silent through this, feeling utterly and truly defeated. She clutched the ball of paper in her hand a little bit tighter at this, but tried her best to keep quiet.

"They were _right_ here-"

"Hey guys," Shane jogged up, a little out of breath, holding Mitchie's crutches. She avoided his eyes but was relieved to see them. And him, if she was being honest with herself.

"Shane, where did you get those?" Nate asked as Caitlyn hurriedly took them out of his hands and brought them to Mitchie, trying to get her up and steady.

"Oh, I caught some kids trying to take off with them. I knew they were Mitch's so I went and got them back. Now they are awaiting punishment for being such assholes."

Mitchie's throat caught when he referred to her as 'Mitch,' but she ignored it. She saw the two kids Shane had waved his hands towards when referencing getting her crutches back and noticed that they too were wearing a thin coating of dirt on their clothes. Looks like she wasn't the only one who spent some time on the ground today.

"Thanks," she murmured to Caitlyn who helped get her situated on her crutches. Her ankle was starting to throb and pulse and she knew who to blame, but she had to ignore it. "I'm going to talk to Brown."

She had meant to say that quietly to Cait, but her efforts were futile as Jason turned towards her.

"You're going to go talk to Brown?"

She gritted her teeth and just nodded, swiping some hair off of her face and brushing off her clothes.

"This summer was a good idea in theory, but it has just gotten out of control. I can't keep letting this happen."

"Are you…are you _leaving_?" Jason asked incredulously.

"Camp Rock isn't fun for me right now, Jason. I'm not entirely sure it ever was. Right now, I am covered in dirt, my ankle feels like it is about to explode, Tess Tyler has my _song_ notebook and I just…I can't do it anymore." Everyone was silent as they watched the strain of these past few weeks weigh on Mitchie. "It feels like…it feels like she has a part of me that I am never going to get back."

"Mitchie…" Nate tried, but she shook her head softly, eyes pleading with him not to start. He just nodded and took a step back, sensing what she needed wasn't more people telling her how to live her life.

"Cait, you want to walk me there?"

"You know I do," she said softly, stroking her hair as they turned to leave.

"Mitch, wait." She froze in her spot as Shane's voice filtered through the air. She didn't turn around to look at him, she just stopped, waiting for him to do…something. "Don't go. Don't…don't do this."

She looked over her shoulder at him, saw the seriousness in his eyes, but couldn't find the strength in her to turn around. She gave him a weak smile before letting determination fall onto her face.

"I'll see you around, Shane."

* * *

Caitlyn and Mitchie walked in silence for a minute before Cait spoke – just like she knew she would.

"I can't believe you're leaving." Her eyes were focused on the ground, unable to meet her friend's eyes, which is why she missed the small smile on Mitchie's lips and the roll of her eyes.

"I'm not leaving, Cait."

"You're _not_?"

"Of course not. For one, my mom works here, and for two, I'd rather spend the next few weeks in this small corner of the earth than back home with Joey Carter lurking in every shadow."

"Then what was all that…?"

"Ella was about ten feet behind us, listening in. She's sweet, but I know she'll tell Tess that I'm planning on leaving and that will make Tess feel like she's gotten away with it. We are now going to tell Brown that he has to search Tess's cabin for my notebook because that is one piece of me that I am not willing to let her have."

"And the Shane thing? He seriously believes you are leaving."

Mitchie paused, before a smirk took over her face.

"Well, he deserves that."

Cait shrieked with laughter, clutching Mitchie's arm.

"Oh, you are _evil_! That is so totally awesome. You are awesome."

The pair laughed as they slowly made their way to the main office, where Brown would presumably be eating lunch.

"Do you think he'll do it?"

"Do what?" Cait asked as she kicked a rock in front of her, feeling much more light-hearted knowing that her best friend wasn't abandoning her at camp.

"Search Tess's cabin. Look for my notebook."

"I…I don't know. I think he will. To be honest, nothing like this has ever happened at Camp Rock before. Tess really took her scheming to another level this year."

"People seem to do that a lot when I'm involved," Mitchie noted.

Unsure of what to say to that, Cait just squeezed Mitchie's arm reassuringly and walked in silence to the office. Once they got there, Mitchie made it clear that Caitlyn didn't have to go in with her if she didn't want to, but Cait pointed out that not only was she excellent moral support, but she could be very persuasive.

"Is Brown in?" Mitchie asked one of the counselors that was sitting at a desk outside his office, seemingly constructing a rubber band ball.

"Sure thing, help yourself."

Mitchie took a deep breath and steeled herself before knocking lightly and walking in.

* * *

"And you're sure?" Brown asked for what had to have been the thirtieth time.

"Yeah," Mitchie said, sounding not the least bit happy. She didn't _want_ to be a snitch. She hated being the one that ran to an adult at the first sign of trouble. But all things considered, she felt like this was the only thing she could do. And lord help her, this was _not _the first sign of trouble. More like the fiftieth. She could go and attempt to find her notebook by herself, but she was sure that that would only lead to trouble for _her_ and none for Tess.

"So this isn't just a _page_ from your notebook, this is…"

"Copied down, word for word. I sign all my pages with 'MET' at the bottom. And I don't dot my I's with hearts."

She had given Brown the crumpled up page of lyrics that she had grabbed from Tess earlier after much consideration. The song she was least proud of had to be the one that Tess quoted to the entire camp, huh?

"Yes, well, I did wonder why the cafeteria was so bare at lunch and I suppose now I know why." Brown looked over the page in front of him again, trying to come to a decision. "Hey, isn't Shane's middle name-"

Mitchie ducked her head as soon as he had gotten to 'Shane' but she could see Caitlyn in the chair next to her waving her arms wildly and shaking her head to cut Brown off.

He stopped mid-sentence and gave a little cough, and Mitchie was unsure whether he was quelling laughter or if he was merely uncomfortable.

"Okay then, I, um, well, I'll look into it."

"Thanks," Mitchie said, head still bowed. "It's yellow, and it says 'Mitchie's Songs' on the front cover and-"

"I've seen it, dear," Brown soothed softly. She was becoming more and more emotional and the pain in her foot had yet to subside so she figured it was probably the best time to take her leave.

"Thanks, Brown. I appreciate this."

"Don't thank me yet, Mitchie. We haven't found it and I'm not entirely sure what I will do once I do find it."

"I just want my notebook back, that's all. I swear."

He nodded, pleased with her answer.

"I'm glad you came to me, Mitchie." Brown was sincere in his deliverance. He was honestly grateful that she had finally resorted to using the assistance that he so badly wanted to give her. "I know you probably wanted to do something on your own, but I am glad you decided to come to me."

Mitchie smiled – a small smile, but a genuine one – and reassured him.

"Well, I don't seem to have much luck here, do I?"


	28. Accidentally In Love

**Author's Note: Oh heeeeey! Remember me? I sometimes post to this ridiculously long story? And every time I update I seem to have some absurd real life excuse as to why I haven't posted in forever? Guilty. But, in somewhat exciting news, I move to my own place in a month and I plan to write my little heart out. Mostly because I don't have money for cable, but whatever…**

**Anyways, this chapter is drama-licious. (I can't believe I just typed that.) There's just a lot of stuff happening, but it gets better, I promise. Not so much in terms of writing quality, because that stays pretty consistent, but I mean for Mitchie! (: **

**The song sung in this chapter is actually an a capella version. If you want to hear the exact (or as close to exact) version that I listen to, go ahead and YouTube "Wellesley Tupelos Accidentally In Love." They have a version from 2010 on there, and while I'm a fan of an earlier version, it is the same song and melody. If you want a clean, professionally recorded version, just let me know! I will send it to you like nobody's business.**

**OK OK OK go read. Love you all, because you're all still incredibly sweet and still reading and reviewing and UGH I just wanna give you all hugs. Is that weird?**

* * *

She didn't go to class on Thursday. Or Friday. Her instructors were told that her ankle was too sensitive (the nurse chided her on 'tripping' and injuring herself further) and she was simply following instructions to take it easy and to not injure herself further. If she was being honest, she was milking it. Her ankle twinged when she walked and sometimes had a penchant for rolling itself, but other than that, she was feeling fairly capable.

She tried avoiding the guys and even Caitlyn a little bit, but that worked for about…two hours. Shane stayed away, sensing her reluctance to talk to him, but the guys would not be deterred. So they would bring her food, talk about the day's drama (with no Mitchie, it was pretty much Kylie versus Tess), and try and get her to smile.

"It's Jam day!"

Jason and Nate ambled into Mitchie's cabin on Saturday morning after breakfast, Jason strumming his guitar, making every statement into a lyric.

"It's Jam day!" Strum. "And I love it!" Strum. "And you should too!" Strum. "Cause it's Jam day!"

"That was beautiful, Jase," Nate said with a clap on his shoulder before sitting down on the spare bed with Cait. Mitchie exercised extreme self-control to not 'aw' aloud.

"Thanks!" Jason sat at the foot of Mitchie's bed, smiling broadly at her, eliciting a smile in return. That was the best thing about Jason – regardless of your mood, he could make you smile. "So, Mitchie, what are you performing tonight?"

And the smile was gone.

"About that…"

"Aw, come on! We never get to hear you sing!"

"I'm a gimp!" She defended, shrugging. "I don't want to hobble on and off stage. Besides, you hear me sing plenty. And I'll be doing Final Jam definitely."

"Like when do we get to hear you?" Jason jutted his lip out and pouted very convincingly.

"Liiiike…in the cafeteria."

"That was one time," Nate pointed out, earning a glare.

"Fine, fine, fine, if you want me to sing so bad…" she hefted out a huge sigh before pointing to her guitar, resting on the wall near her bed. "Guitar me."

"Yes!" Jason instantly gave her the guitar and sat back down eagerly.

"This song," she began as she started to tune her guitar. "Is _not_ an original. In fact, it is so far from an original, that there is actually no emotional significance." This led to a pointed look towards Caitlyn. "So don't go reading into this. I just want to sing this, ok?"

With nods from everyone she sat up a little bit straighter and started to strum.

"_So she said what's the problem, baby?_

_What's the problem?_ _I don't know, well…_

_Maybe I'm in love_

_Think about it every time_

_I think about it_

_Can't stop thinking 'bout it_

_How much longer will it take to cure this?_

_Just to cure it 'cause I can't ignore if it's love_

_Makes me wanna turn around and face me_

_But I don't know nothing 'bout love,"_

She was singing the song pretty much for Jason's benefit – they had discussed their mutual admiration for the Counting Crows and she knew he'd enjoy this and as he picked up his guitar, she was delighted that he was even going to join in. He strummed in harmony at just the right times, his skills honed after years of practice. She nodded to him to sing with her and he grinned widely and nodded.

"_**Come on, come on**_

_Turn a little faster_

_**Come on, come on**_

_The world will follow after_

_**Come on, come on**_

_Because everybody's after love_

_So I said I'm a snowball running_

_Running down into the spring that's coming_

_All this love_

_Melting under blue skies_

_Belting out sunlight, shimmering love_

_Well baby, I surrender_

_To the strawberry ice cream_

_Never ever end all of this love_

_Well I didn't mean to do it_

_But there's no escaping your love"_

Nate and Caitlyn were holding hands and blushing while doing so, and Nate was tapping on the nightstand with his free hand. Mitchie had to laugh – to the outside world, and to her right at that moment – they must have seemed like the happiest people in the entire world. She was giggling to herself that she missed her next entrance, but Caitlyn sang it in her stead.

"**These lines of lightning **

**Mean we're never alone**

**Never alone, no no**

_**Come on, come on**_

_Move a little closer_

_**Come on, come on**_

_I want to hear you whisper_

_**Come on, come on**_

_Settle down inside my love_

_**Come on, come on**_

_**Jump a little higher!**_

_**Come on, come on**_

_If you feel a little lighter_

_**Come on, come on**_

_**We were once upon a time in love**_

_We're accidentally in love_

_Accidentally in love,_

_Accidentally in love_

_Accidentally in love…"_

Caitlyn took her years of professional choral training and a capella singing to add in her own harmony, singing a song Mitchie vaguely recognized from the 1990s while Mitchie carried on with the refrain,

"**Look around the world, pretty baby**

**Is it everything you thought it would be?**

**The wrong guy, the wrong situation**

**The right time…to roll to me.**

"_Accidentally…_

_I'm in love, I'm in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love_

_Accidentally!_

_**Come on, come on**_

_**Spin a little tighter!**_

_**Come on, come on**_

_**And the world's a little brighter**_

_**Come on, come on**_

_Just get yourself inside her love_

_I'm in love."_

The group finished with a flourish and gave themselves a round of applause – it was the most fun Mitchie had experienced in a long time and hey, they even sounded _good!_ A movement by the door caught her eyes and she was a little stunned to see Shane there on the other side of the screen door, standing a little awkwardly.

"Shane…"

"Oh, hey, guys," he let himself in self-consciously.

"What are you doing here?" Nate voiced the question that was on all of their tongues.

"I didn't want to interrupt – you guys sounded great, I just, um, thought you might want to check something out."

"Check 'something' out?" He looked down a little uncomfortably at Cait's words, but got his footing back easily.

"Yeah, I just saw Brown and he's going to do a thorough search of Tess's cabin right now…he's looking for your song book, Mitch."

"Now? Three days later?" She felt a little upset that it had taken Brown three days to find something that mattered so much to her.

"I think," Shane cleared his throat as all eyes were on him again, "I think he was having a hard time coming to the decision to go through a camper's stuff."

"That makes sense," Mitchie muttered, understanding his reasoning yet still unable to feel completely satisfied. "It's just, what if she's gotten rid of it already?"

"I doubt it," Caitlyn spoke up. "This is going to sound really horrible, but I doubt she would just use it once."

"Yeah, I mean, there's got to be a million other ways to make fun of you through that, huh Mitchie?"

Caitlyn threw a pillow at Jason, _hard_.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"_That_ was for saying something that I was trying so hard _not to say!_" Cait gritted out.

Mitchie snorted, shaking her head at the pair.

"It's fine, guys. You're right. I'm surprised she's not selling copies right now. Let's go see how this plays out."

* * *

The trip over there was awkward – Mitchie could have _sworn_ that Shane had something to say to her, but every time she tried to look at him, he was studiously avoiding her eyes. She felt herself grow frustrated; after all, wasn't that supposed to be _her_ role?

When they reached Tess's cabin, Mitchie was surprised to see that they weren't the only ones outside, watching the chaos unfold. Nearby cabins had all made their way out to their porches after hearing the squeals coming from Tess and that had drawn the attention of plenty of campers. Leaning against the side of an adjacent cabin, Caitlyn was the first to comment.

"Oh. My. God."

That was really all that could be summed up. Through the open screen door and the huge front windows, Tess could be both seen and heard perfectly. And she was losing her shit.

"Just wait until my mother hears about this! This is ridiculous; you can't just invade someone's privacy like this! I have rights, you know!"

She was stomping around the inside, back and forth, hair whipping behind her. She was a stark contrast to Peggy and Ella, who were also in the cabin, but sitting peacefully on a bed together. Ella looked a little scared of Tess and Peggy looked bored of the entire situation.

"At camp, privacy is not a right, it is a privilege," Brown could be heard saying, although he was currently out of sight to those on the outside. "After much consideration, I have found due reasons to search your cabin for a certain possession that is not yours. Now, assuming you have adhered to the camp's policy regarding acceptable possessions, and assuming you do not have the possession in question, nothing bad should come of this."

"Nothing bad? Nothing bad? Those nail polishes were sorted by color!"

"Are you colorblind, Ms. Tyler?"

"What? No! Didn't you just hear me?"

"Since you are not, I believe it should be no problem for you to reorganize them just as they were."

Mitchie let out a giggle at that and she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Shane actually put his head in his hand and laughed aloud. After everything, he was still beautiful. Their eyes met briefly as he lifted his head, but Mitchie broke the contact quickly and focused on the now louder squeaks that were coming from the cabin across the way.

"I don't understand why you're doing this. Why do you hate me, Brown? What did I ever do to you?"

Brown sounded resigned as he sighed and stepped into view.

"I do not hate you, Tess. But I have a responsibility to all the campers here, not just you. And it is my responsibility to ensure the safety, both emotional and physical, of all of my campers." Brown turned around and continued rummaging. "I must say though, you are making it quite difficult."

The cabin was quiet for a spell, and Mitchie leaned towards Caitlyn conspiratorially.

"Do you think he'll find it?"

"I think maybe. I mean, Tess is no criminal mastermind. She's sort of just a bitch. I bet she had no idea that it would've been a smart move to get rid of your notebook."

It was a tense ten minutes while they waited as Brown searched. As every minute passed, Mitchie was more and more nervous that her notebook was gone forever. Well, not forever. Forever she could have handled. But she knew that her notebook wasn't ever going to be 'gone.' Just not in her possession. So long as she didn't have the notebook in her hands, someone else did. Someone else who wouldn't hesitate to use its contents to hurt her. Forever gone, she could handle. Just not this.

Just when Mitchie was about to call it quits and tell everyone to head back to the cabin, that she couldn't wait and endure that anymore…she heard Brown. He was quiet, but the chatter outside had died down and a lot of campers had abandoned the site after a few minutes. She could hear him and he did not sound happy.

"What is this, Tess?"

"Uh…" _Busted_, Mitchie thought. "It's a notebook. _My_ notebook."

Everyone perked up at that. Any residual chatter died _completely_. Mitchie could feel the gaze of at least a dozen campers on her, watching her reaction, but she refused to give in. She schooled her face to be neutral and stared straight ahead at the cabin.

"I am going to ask you this one time, Miss Tyler." Brown stepped into the frame of the window, becoming visible to the campers and becoming intimidating to Tess. "Is this, or is this not, Mitchie Torres's song notebook?"

Caitlyn leaned into Mitchie, who still refused to look away from the scene unfolding in front of her. "I haven't heard him this angry since…well, since the last time he dug you out of trouble."

Mitchie knew she meant it to be a joke, but she felt her cheeks grow warm and her eyes burned with the familiar sting of unshed tears. She didn't want any of this, didn't people see that? That was why she was so reluctant to go to Brown in the first place. Getting him involved was another thing to add to her plate. Another thing she didn't need.

She shook off her thoughts and refocused on Brown and Tess. This was the path she had chosen and now she had to see it through.

"I thought Mitchie's songbook had a yellow cover on it? That book doesn't have a cover." Tess sounded smug even to Mitchie's ears.

"That doesn't seem like a very good defense," Jason stated plaintively.

"And this, what is this?" Brown seemed to be pointing to something on the pages of the book in his hands.

"You mean my _songs_?"

Mitchie almost screamed when she said 'my' songs.

"No, this. Right here." Another point at the book.

"I'm not allowed to doodle?"

"No, you're allowed to," Brown said as he flicked through the pages. "I just find it…_curious_ as to why you would doodle the same thing on every page. At the bottom of every page with a song on it. And why those doodles would look suspiciously like the initials 'MET.'"

Silence. Deafening silence from every corner of the camp.

"That's actually Peggy's or Ella's-"

"_Hey_!" The two girls exclaimed, jumping up from their docile corner, ready to defend themselves.

"Tess!" Brown barked. "My office, now!"

She marched outside with Brown following closely behind, when she stopped abruptly, noticing all the kids around. Her eyes found Mitchie, who was studiously looking at the ground, and Tess unleashed a brand new type of fury.

"_YOU."_

"Is she talking to me?" Jason wondered quietly as Tess stalked over.

"Miss Tyler, you are on very thin ice as it is, I suggest you stop whatever you're thinking about doing and get yourself to my office. Now."

She stopped in the middle of the path between cabins, clearly at war with herself. Mitchie watched her, a little frightened if she was being honest with herself.

"You are ruining _everything_," Tess spoke with a distinct brand of clarity. "You should have never come here."

"She has every right to be here as you do, Miss Tyler," Brown said as he walked past her towards Mitchie. "Is this your notebook, Mitchie?"

She nodded silently, mourning the state it was in. Coverless with pages clearly torn out with doodles on some pages that she could see. Doodles in glittery pink gel pen.

"They're not even that good," Tess crowed. "No wonder you never perform at Jams. They're awful."

"_I_ for one can't wait to hear you perform one for us at an upcoming Jam," Brown spoke quietly to Mitchie, handing her notebook over before whirling around to face Tess. "You will also enjoy hearing her play, from your seat next to the counselors."

"What?" The screech heard 'round the world.

"If it wasn't this late in the game, I would send you home, Tess. Make no mistake that you will be punished for this, no matter who your mother is."

"What about her?"

That got everyone's attention.

"What about who?"

"Mitchie, that's who!"

"What did Mitchie do to warrant a punishment, let alone to warrant you stealing her personal belongings?"

"She…" A frustrated scream and a stamp of the foot was all the answer anyone needed. "FINE. What about Lola?"

Silence.

Mitchie could feel the blood drain out of her face. _What about _Lola_?_

Her eyes found Lola, standing with a group of her dancing friends a few yards away beneath a tree. She was stock still, her eyes locked on Tess, trying to either stare her down or win some silent argument.

"Lola gave me Mitchie's song book," Tess announced proudly, as if that would absolve her from all of her guilt.

Protests erupted from all around. Caitlyn and Lola, along with all of Lola's friends were defending themselves, with Tess shouting above all of them. Brown was desperately trying to calm the group as best as he could, with Connect 3 trying to aid him in any way.

She couldn't breathe. She trusted Lola. She was her _friend_. But suddenly, everything started to come back to her. All the hushed conversations between Lola and Tess. All the innocuous curiosity, with Lola pestering her about what song she would sing at a Jam…all of that was becoming clear. She was never her friend. She was never an ally. She was one of _them_, all along.

She must have zoned out, because she came to when Brown said her name, and from the looks everyone was giving her, it was clearly not the first time. They were silent, waiting for her to respond.

Her eyes met Lola's and she could see the truth there.

"You volunteered to go get my song book after I told you I left it in the cabin," Mitchie acknowledged softly. Lola opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Mitchie nodded, more to herself than to anyone. She gathered her strength and got out the one word that was the hardest to give voice to. "Why?"

"Why wouldn't she? She told me _everything_." Tess Tyler shot back, her nose so high in the air, Mitchie was surprised it wasn't bleeding. "You're a nobody, Mitchie Torres. I know you like to think that you're somebody, by hanging out with popstars and making goo goo eyes at Shane Gray, but you're not. Lola prefers to hang out with people who actually _are_ somebody. People who matter in this life – people who can get her mom's show on Broadway a renewed contract," she tossed out with a smirk.

Lola had tears streaming down her face, but Mitchie couldn't find it in her to feel sorry for the girl. Mitchie met Brown's eyes for a moment and he knew that this was already too much for her and started corralling the girls to his office.

She refused to look up and just started wandering back to her cabin. Her mind was a jumbled mess of things and she didn't know what to say to anyone.

"Mitchie…" A hand tentatively touched her shoulder.

"Not right now, Cait," Mitchie said as she continued to press forward, ignoring the girl walking by her side. Emotions getting the better of her, she stopped, staring at the girl she had come to known as her best friend. "Did you know?"

"Did I know…" Understanding dawned on her face. "About _Lola_? Of course not! How can you think that?"

"You live with her. You see her every day."

"I spend 99% of my days with _you_, Mitchie. I had no idea she was feeding Tess information; I would have stopped her. I would have kicked her ass, or something!"

Mitchie's face remained stony and Caitlyn felt the first tendrils of fear creep into her veins.

"You don't think I had anything to do with this, do you?" She let her hand, still resting on Mitchie's shoulder, drop to her side.

"I don't know."

"You don't _know_? You honestly think I could have done something like that?"

Mitchie felt the walls, those carefully constructed emotional walls that she had spent so long developing, start to give way to the dam behind it.

"Clearly I don't know who _any_ of my friends are!" Mitchie's raised voice attracted the attention of plenty of campers, but she knew that they had been listening in anyway – might as well give them a show, right? Her eyes met Shane's and he looked so…so _sad_ or guilty or pitying or _something_ and it was that something in particular that she just didn't want to deal with. "I am so sick and tired of being lied to and talked about and walked away from! It is so goddamn hard being the bigger person all the time and I can't do it anymore! It seems like the more I find myself, the more people have a problem with that, so you know what – that's fine. I'm done. DONE. I never should have come here."

And with that, Mitchie took off in the opposite direction of her cabin, leaving a stunned audience in her wake.

* * *

Caitlyn couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She felt so…lost. And confused.

Nate was beside her instantly, taking her hand inside of his.

"She…can't…really, I mean…"

"No," Nate assured her. "She doesn't really think that. She's just angry and confused and hurt."

"What do I do?" Caitlyn asked, eyes wide and about to be brimming with tears.

"You give her space. You go on a walk with me. You try not to think about this for a few minutes, if possible."

"And if I can't?" She asked with a watery smile, albeit small.

"I'll give you something else to think about, how's that?"

A true smile broke over her face and she thanked her lucky stars that she had a guy like Nate in her life.

* * *

**A/N: C'man. Mitchie isn't perfect.**


	29. The Longest Time

**A/N: Guys! I have this huge chapter for you and so much happens in it and I hope you like it and _yeah_. I don't have internet right now at my apartment, so I'm actually sucking it up and visiting my mother. That's how much I want to post this. (Trust me, it says a lot.)**

**Good thing about the internet? I have about 20 chapters of this finished, hahahah. I actually finished through the camp, and I'm torn between just keeping this story going or if I should create a sequel. Thoughts? I have no idea as to the advantages of either one, so by all means help me decide!**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews, even though I haven't updated in so long. Some reviews as recently as today! And they're all so nice! I just want to hug you guys. (Lookin' at you, rocketgrrl.)**

**As a treat for being so patient with me – this chapter is so big. AND it has some Billy Joel in it. What could be better? I hope you like it so much! I love this story (can I say that? Hahahaha I feel lame, but this story is totally my baby. I just want to love it and treat it right, like Biebs tells me to do.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing - no characters, no songs, no nothing. Just pure, unadulterated creativity.  
**

* * *

She shouldn't have been surprised when he showed up. She knew he was going to follow her and it simultaneously irritated her and warmed her heart, but that's what he was: a follower.

"Jase, I don't think you being here is a good idea," Mitchie said as he settled in next to her. They were at the canoes – the same place Mitchie had ran to the first time she had to get away. That thought alone frustrated her. Why was it that there was always a first time? And a second? And a third?

"No, maybe it's not," he conceded, but made no move to get up. "You wouldn't let Caitlyn be alone when she was upset," he pointed out.

"You're not Caitlyn, though!"

"No, I'm not. But you just yelled at her so I'm not sure if she's going to follow you or not."

He didn't say it in a way to be mean or vindictive; he just said it as if it were irrefutable_. _Like_, the sky is blue and you yelled at Caitlyn_. Mitchie scrunched her eyes shut and tried to push that memory to the back of her mind but it wouldn't go.

"I did," she muttered without opening her eyes. "I really, really did." She peeked open and saw Jason running the sand through his hands calmly. "Think she'll hate me forever?"

"She doesn't hate you. I don't think she understood, but she could never hate you."

Mitchie chose her next words wisely, something she was clearly unaccustomed to doing, and she wasn't even entirely sure this wasn't something too personal to ask.

"Do you? Not hate me, but…do you understand?"

"I do. I'm _famous_, Mitchie. People betray my trust regularly. Unfortunately. I wish it didn't happen, but it does. Did Shane ever tell you about my last girlfriend?"

Mitchie unconsciously gripped her heart through her clothes. It physically hurt to think about Shane.

"No. He never told me anything that personal about you guys," she said quietly, not meeting his eyes. She just stared out over the lake, watching the sun's rays bounce off the water. She welcomed the pain it brought to her eyes and forced herself not to blink.

"Her name was Maria. I was head over heels for her. It took me a while to open up to her, but she managed to get me to do it. Sold me out to the tabs a few weeks later. Didn't even have the decency to break up with me – just published stuff in the papers and didn't call me ever again."

They let that sit between them for a few minutes before Mitchie felt confident that she could speak without her voice cracking.

"Does it ever get easier?" She knew Jason didn't want her pity; that's not why he told her what he did. He was telling her to let her know that she wasn't alone.

He let out a little self-deprecating bark of laughter.

"You don't want it to get easier, Mitchie."

"Why not?"

"Because that means that you're jaded. It means that you expect that of people. And you shouldn't. People are better than that."

A beat.

"They are?"

"Of _course_ they are. Just look at me. Or Nate. Or Shane."

A loud snort.

"Even Shane is a good person, Mitchie, I promise. He has reasons for everything he does, even if they are dumb reasons. He takes himself too seriously sometimes. But he's a good person, and you know that. Very few people actually do know that, so count yourself among the elite."

She mulled that over for a moment, and she found herself agreeing. She knew that Shane wasn't a bad person. She knew that none of this was his fault: the girls here, the backstabbing, her falling for him…any of it.

Minutes blended together and eventually, Mitchie knew she had to get back and Jason had to start getting ready for the Jam. She thanked him and hugged him tight and she just knew that she would stay in touch with him, no matter what happened. He was going to stay a part of her life.

Sneaking along the edges of cabins, Mitchie made her way back to hers. She had to know that her name was all that was on the lips' of the campers today and she'd just as soon avoid that. She didn't have a complete plan in mind, but she knew that she couldn't stay at Camp Rock anymore. She couldn't. She was just going to go, back her stuff up, and see if she could get her dad to pick her up. If he wasn't working today then he could to tomorrow. It was foolproof!

She finally got to her cabin – satisfied that Jason said they were practicing in the music cabin for the Jam tonight – but before she could open the door, there was a piece of paper beckoning to her, wedged in the door jamb.

_Mitch –_

_I have so much to say to you and I'm worried that I don't have enough time. If you won't listen to me speak, will you at least listen to me sing?_

_Come to tonight's Jam. Please. _

There was a lot of scribbling at that point in the note – Mitchie strained her eyes to see what he had meant to write. It looked as if he had written "I'm so sorry I kissed you," and then scratched it out. What did that mean? Was he not sorry? Was he really sorry, but realized how rude that sounded on paper? Was he…

She scrunched her eyes shut, willing the voices in her head to shut up. What had even HAPPENED today? No one's life is supposed to be this dramatic. She felt like she had taken a wrong turn somewhere and she was actually on the set of _Degrassi_. Could someone please tell her what to do in this instance?

No one came to help her, and for the next hour, Mitchie felt as if she was a bona fide head-case. She would start to pack all of her stuff, stop, sob, start packing again, get furious at herself for quitting, start to unpack, cry, pack, and just repeat the sad cycle all over again.

She was in the middle of the crying stage when she heard a timid knock on her door. Mitchie got up and slowly went to the door, wiping her eyes tentatively. She had absolutely no idea who it could possibly be – worst case scenario, Lola, Kylie, Tess, any other camper that hated her, her mother, Brown…okay, so most of them were worst-case scenarios. She just hoped against hope that maybe it would be someone who wouldn't completely ruin her life.

Her hopes had been answered because as she slowly opened the door, inch by inch, she saw a familiar pair of silver Doc Martins in the doorway. Her eyes quickly traveled upwards and met the soft brown eyes of Caitlyn Gellar, best friend extraordinaire.

"You look like crap," Cait said with a weak chuckle.

"I know," Mitchie agreed. "Want to come in?"

She held the door open and Caitlyn ducked in quietly, unsure of what to say or how to say it.

"Going somewhere?"

Suitcases and duffle bags littered the room, clothes strewn everywhere – to Caitlyn's neat-freak personality, it was a heart attack waiting to happen.

"Not sure where to go," Mitchie said softly, scuffing the toe of her sandal on the ground, not meeting her eyes.

Caitlyn swallowed before taking a deep breath, "Want me to come with you?"

At that, Mitchie's eyes swung upwards and she knew that she hadn't damaged their friendship irreparably. They were still best friends.

"Oh, Caitlyn!" Mitchie crushed her with a hug, holding her so tight that she couldn't breathe herself, but she still found herself oddly comforted by it. "I don't know what to do! I don't know what I am going to do or why this is happening and everything has turned to rubbish and I can't deal with this!"

"Hey, hey," Cait pulled away and held Mitchie by her shoulders, forcing her to look at her. "You are the strongest and bravest person I know. You are a fighter. You are not going down without swinging, you hear me? This is not the end of the road and you know it. You wanted someone to tell you what to do, so here it is: we are going to get ready and we are going to go to tonight's social. We are going to not take shit from anyone and we are going to _tear it up_ on the dance floor. You hear me?"

Swallowing back any tears that threatened to fall, Mitchie nodded with a watery smile. Somehow, with Caitlyn there, anything felt possible. She could be that fearless girl again, she just needed to show everyone that try as they might, she was _still_ better than them. Maybe not talent-wise and maybe not looks-wise, but her maturity and heart was _miles_ ahead of them.

She cocked her head when something Caitlyn said rang in her ears.

"Social? You called the Jam a social?"

A grimace crossed Caitlyn's face before she schooled her features once more.

"Yeah, about that…Brown's sort of _canceledtonightsjam._"

"He _what_?"

"Yeah, I think he's sort of fed up with everyone around here. He passed around some announcement about how he was too busy doling out punishments to prepare for tonight's Jam so it wasn't happening. _However_, we did manage to wrangle a social out of him – it's in the caf, there'll be music playing and food for eating and why don't you look excited?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just – Shane left me a note. Said something about how if I won't listen to him speak, then I could listen to him sing…he was going to play something at tonight's Jam, I think. I doubt he's going to be the only one playing tonight if it's canceled."

"Well, don't give up hope yet, although I haven't heard anything from Nate. But right now, we need to make you look gorgeous so that you can knock all these haters down, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, pushing all thoughts of Shane out of her mind. She focused on organizing her clothes into some semblance of a pile before a thought occurred to her, drawing a smile on her face.

"What?" Cait asked when she noticed the look on her friend's face in between folding pieces of laundry.

"You must be _loving_ this. You hate Bubblegum Jam!"

"I _miiiight_ have been the one who suggested canceling it…"

Mitchie let out a real laugh for the first time in what felt like so long, tossing a shirt at Cait.

"Ooh, this is cute!" Caitlyn held out the top in front of her, glancing at Mitchie over it. "So, Miss Torres. What look are we going for tonight? Glamorous? Sparkly? Hoodrat? Bohemian princess?"

"You know what?" A soft smile spread on Mitchie's face. "I was thinking about going as myself."

* * *

"Herself," as it was, turned out to be pretty stylish, Caitlyn had to admit. She wore a floral short summer dress with the addition of a cropped black leather jacket, giving her some edge. She lightly curled her hair and wore minimal makeup; after all, if people were going to see the _real_ her, there was no sense in dolling herself up.

"You look great!"

"Geez, no need to sound so shocked that I can dress myself," Mitchie teased as she was lacing up her black wrap around sandals.

"Well, I was beginning to wonder…"

The two lapsed into giggles until silence embraced them once more.

"I'm sorry," Mitchie said quietly, meeting Caitlyn's eyes in the mirror as she put on lip gloss. "I know you never would have anything to do with Tess, let alone put me through that. I'm sorry I accused you."

"Don't apologize. Lola had been acting sketchy for a while and I never really made an attempt to find out why and…"

"Hey, hey, hey, we _all_ let Lola's weirdness continue for longer than we should have. Always being interested in what I was going to sing, always having those secret conversations with Tess – there were clues we all missed. Guess we just saw what we wanted to."

"She used to be great, you know." Caitlyn flopped carefully onto a nearby bed, smoothing any wrinkles in her clothes. "She and I used to get along so well, and even when we were all friends with Tess. And now…now, I don't know. I guess I never really knew her."

"She looked like she felt pretty bad today. Not that I forgive her!" She rushed on at the incredulous look Caitlyn was giving her. "Totally unforgivable. But is it bad if I say it makes me a little happy to know that she does have _some_ sort of a soul? I'm glad she feels bad, as awful as it sounds."

"Anyone ever tell you that you have a guilt complex?"

"Shut up."

The "Social" seemed to be the equivalent of a middle school dance. Speakers were set up with Top 40 music blaring out of them, there were tables moved out of the way for people to dance, and there was not one single person even _swaying_. Instead, they were awkwardly lining the room, drinking watered down punch and generic snacks. Mitchie had poked her head in the kitchen to see if her mom needed help, but she was assured that Brown had some "rebellious girls" that were going to be helping her soon. Mitchie closed the door quickly after that revelation.

The most disappointing thing to Mitchie wasn't the bowl filled with Cheetos, though. The fact that a certain pop star (and his fellow compadres) was nowhere to be found grated on her. She hated that she was on the lookout like this! Always staring at the door, always wondering if the next person to walk in would be him…it was slowly driving her mad.

"How about you face _away_ from the door?"

Mitchie took a deep breath, about to protest, before realizing that maybe she really _should_.

"Okay, yeah, good idea."

Just as she turned away, her eyes were drawn to the doors at the other end of the mess hall, where Nate was holding open the door with his back, as Jason walked in with his guitar, followed closely by Shane. All three boys were wearing white tees with black leather jackets, giving them a very _Grease_-esque vibe.

"That is a _nice_ leather jacket," Cait murmured appreciatively.

"It really is…"

Cait and Mitchie simultaneously turned towards each other before silently agreeing to let that just lie there.

"So," Mitch coughed awkwardly. "Do you know what they're doing here? Are they performing?"

"It would seem like it, but Brown didn't mention anything earlier."

They both watched Brown start to make his way over to the boys, looking either resigned or put out, the two girls couldn't tell.

A few minutes of hushed conversation occurred between the boys and eventually they must have won out because Brown turned to the campers, that by now had started to congregate closer to Connect 3, and told them that he did indeed have a _surprise_ for them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, despite my better judgment, we will indeed have a performance tonight, just not from one of you degenerates," Brown said with a grin, easing the sting from his words. "Tonight, you will not have something sticky or sweet, no Bubblegum for you. However, you will have the predecessor to modern day pop. You, my friends, will have the pop that started it all. You will have…Billy Joel."

Mitchie felt like she was in a movie.

All noise ceased to exist to her. Everything moved in slow motion except her. She could feel every beat of her heart with frightening clarity and when her eyes locked with Shane's, she could have _sworn_ there was a bolt of lightning between them.

Her mind was racing, her thoughts a jumbled up mess. Did he remember that her favorite song was Billy Joel? _Of course he did,_ she chided herself. Shane had a _great_ memory and this was too specific to be a coincidence. The outfits…oh, God, the outfits. She knew what song they were going to sing. She knew and she couldn't decide for the life of her if she was excited by that or nauseas.

In what felt like seconds to Mitchie, the boys had set up their mic stands and drums and speakers. _How did that happen so fast_? Mitchie wondered absently.

"I love when Nate plays drums," Cait squealed quietly in her ear. She let herself smile at that, because she truly was happy for her friend. She was so glad that Cait found someone as great as Nate to be in her life.

As Nate settled himself at the drums, Shane and Jason positioned themselves with the mic stands. The lack of guitars told Mitchie all she needed to know – this was really happening.

"So, um, we know that there wasn't supposed to be a Jam tonight," Shane spoke nervously into the microphone, his eyes instinctively falling on Mitchie. "But this is a song that we really worked hard to perfect and I really wanted to play it tonight. It's…it's for an extraordinary girl, because I was extraordinarily stupid. You always take a chance when you do a cover, especially one as iconic as this, and I hope you all know that we wanted to do it justice. I hope I don't ruin your favorite song."

He flashed a boyish grin at her and she knew she wasn't going to stay mad at him. She wasn't going to make it easy for him, but…she could never really stay mad at Shane Gray.

Nate clicked his drumsticks together before the three of them started to harmonize to form Mitchie Torres' favorite cover of her favorite song.

_Whoa, oh, oh, oh_

_For the longest time_

_Whoa, oh, oh_

_For the longest time_

Jason urged the campers to clap along to the beat that Nate was keeping on the high-hat of the drum, as Shane began to sing. His voice was an octave higher than Billy Joel's, but just as silky and smooth, and just as captivating. His eyes never left Mitchie's as he crooned out the timeless tune.

_If you said goodbye to me tonight_

_There would still be music left to write_

_What else could I do?_

_I'm so inspired by you_

_That hasn't happened for the longest time_

_Once I thought my innocence was gone_

_Now I know that happiness goes on_

_That's where you found me_

_When you put your arms around me_

_I haven't been there in the longest time_

Mitchie swayed to the music as the boys sang the chorus, looking for all the world as if they're having the best time of their life. She laughed aloud when Jason pulled a comb out of his pocket and swiped it through his hair whilst singing.

_I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall_

_And the greatest miracle of all_

_Is how I need you_

_And how you needed me too_

_That hasn't happened for the longest time_

Shane started to get serious about the song and less nervous, Mitchie could tell. He was starting to hold notes out longer and put his own _Connect 3_ spin on them. It was, unfortunately, charming.

_Maybe this won't last very long_

_But you feel so right_

_And I could be wrong_

_Maybe I've been hoping too hard_

_But I've gone this far_

_And it's more than I hoped for_

_Who knows how much further we'll go on?_

_Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone_

_I'll take my chances_

_I forgot how nice romance is_

_I haven't been there for the longest time_

His eyes sought out Mitchie's this time and held them, really held them. The air was sucked out of the room and she knew he was singing to her. She had a brief moment of self-doubt and actually asked herself how many other girls have felt the same way, but she thought that maybe…maybe this was different. Maybe _they_ were different.

_I had second thoughts at the start_

_I said to myself,_

"_Hold onto your heart."_

_But now I know the woman that you are_

_You're wonderful so far_

_And that's more than I hoped for_

_I don't care what consequence it brings_

_I have been a fool for lesser things_

_I want you so bad_

_I think you ought to know that_

_I intend to hold you_

_For the longest time._

Applause erupted all around Mitchie but her eyes never left Shane's. It wasn't until Brown's booming voice through a microphone startled her that she let herself be jarred out of the trance.

"An a capella sensation, that was!" Brown crowed, giving speculative looks to the singers. "Didn't know they could pull that one out of their hats now, did you? Yeah, me neither. Give it up one more time for the boys of Connect 3!"

Mitchie couldn't really focus on anything else Brown was saying. Her eyes drifted back to Shane's and he nervously bit his lip and nodded outside with a pleading look in his eyes. Not entirely sure it was a good idea, Mitchie gave him a quick nod before turning to Caitlyn.

Before she could even say anything, -

"Go."

"Are you sure? I could…"

"Stay here with me, Nate, and Jason?" Cait snorted. "Please. Go, put that boy out of his misery. But don't make it too easy for him."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she told her with a devilish smile before sneaking to a side emergency door. She didn't really want to be seen walking out the front door with him right then.

She got out and went to walk around the building when voices stopped her. They were coming from behind her, around the corner of the building and she knew without a doubt that it was Kyle Stiles and her minions.

"Okay, she's standing next to her hoodrat friend Caitlyn," Kylie's barely hushed whispers reached her ears. Mitchie was morbidly curious about what they were planning for her and couldn't bring her feet to move.

Just then, she heard more footsteps coming from the _opposite_ side. She looked up, eager to see if she was going to be caught or ignored and was surprised to see it was Shane. Guess he thought she might run off – a pretty valid assumption, based on Mitchie's regular M.O. when it comes to confrontation.

She made a split decision and she closed the distance between them quickly, holding her finger up to her mouth. And then she promptly dragged him behind a bush lining the building.

He was fairly compliant; his eyes were the only clue that he wasn't as comfortable with the situation as he was pretending. They were wide and giving Mitchie the idea that he thought she might be crazy.

"Is there a reason we are back here?" He asked quietly after a few moments where Mitchie wouldn't even meet his eyes.

"Shh! Listen!"

It took a bit, but Kylie's voice trailed to them again.

"What do you mean she's not in there? She was_ just_ next to that Caitlyn girl!" They couldn't hear the response, but Kylie growled in frustration. "Okay, well, if she's holding two cups, one of them has to be for Bitchie. Just slip it in both drinks, what does it really matter? That other girl sucks too."

Another pause, this time longer, where someone was telling asking Kylie a question that Mitchie and Shane couldn't hear.

"I got it from the nurse's office. They like, give it to people who eat poison. It's ipecac syrup – it totally works wonders if you eat a big meal, too, and you don't want the calories. But make sure you put a lot in the drinks, okay? I want to see how cute Torres thinks she is when she's puking in front of the whole camp."

The cold laughter made Shane tense up and he moved to approach Kylie, but Mitchie just pulled him back down with her pleading eyes. They had a silent conversation that Mitch eventually won and he agreed to stay hidden while she pulled out her phone.

**To: Cait**

**From: Mitchie**

**Don't drink ANYTHING. Kylie's going to put ipecac syrup in anything you hold – gross. Sorry **

She pocketed her cell phone and inched her way down the building until she came to a window, and she looked inside, watching Caitlyn politely ask Nate to hold a drink while she fished out her cell phone from her pocket. She watched her face grow dark as she read it, before an evil smile took over her face as she responded.

Her phone buzzed and Mitchie eagerly checked it.

**To: Mitchie**

**From: Cait**

**I'm on it! Don't worry; I have no intention of blowing chunks tonight. Now – less texting, more kissing! ;)**

Biting her lip to prevent herself from laughing aloud, Mitchie slid her phone back into her pocket and motioned to Shane that it was time to leave the solitude of the bushes. He took her hand and they snuck out, running crouched over until they were sure they weren't seen. Once they slowed, Mitchie couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her as she put her hand to heart in a futile effort to slow it down.

She grinned up at Shane, forgetting that they had so much to talk about – for that second, she felt like it was just her and her best friend, like they had been for weeks that summer.

"Only you," he told her with a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Trust me – I know!"

The moment came back to them both shortly after and she felt the awkwardness creep back around.

"Can we talk?" Shane asked nervously. She nodded and let him take her hand, surprised when she realized he was leading her to the vocal lesson cabin. The cabin they had shared their first and only kiss in.

He motioned for her to sit down at the piano bench and he sidled up next to her, not meeting her expectant eyes. Finally, after a few deep breaths (and probably the realization that Mitchie wasn't going to be the one who spoke first), he began.

"You drive me absolutely crazy, Mitch."

"Boy, this conversation is going to be _fun_," she muttered.

He winced, not aware of how it would sound. This already wasn't going well.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just…you do. You really do. I never know what to say around you and I never know how to act and you are constantly surprising me and keeping me guessing."

"Why the hell do you hang out with me then?" She was going to let him explain everything before she chimed in but he was really confusing her. If the entire conversation was going to be him telling her what a pain she was, why not stop it as soon as possible?

"_Because_ of those things! Because you keep me guessing! Because I never know what to say to you! Because you are beautiful and strong and smart and funny and you drive me crazy in all the best ways."

"Shane…" He had finally turned to face her on the bench and his eyes were so sincere that she was actually taken aback. What was he saying?

"When I sang that song tonight, it was more than just your favorite song. You _do_ inspire me. You do make me remember what happiness feels like. It has been a _very_ long time for me, Mitchie. And I don't know what to do about that. I act like an ass around you, I know that. I just…I can't get my bearings. I want to impress you, did you know that?" He gave a little laugh, as if he himself couldn't believe it either. "I haven't wanted to impress someone in years. But I find myself wanting you to be proud of me now. I want to be someone that _deserves_ someone like you."

"But, the other night…"

"I freaked."

"You kind of did."

He ran his hand through his hair and for just a minute, Mitchie could've sworn she saw an innocent little boy underneath everything. It was gone in a blink, but it somehow made Shane more _real_ to her.

"I didn't expect to find you when I came here. Not just the girl who I talked to in the dark after a public school concert, but…_you_. Mitchie. I didn't expect to find a girl that gave it as good as she got and who sassed me and didn't care that I was famous and didn't want a dozen roses every time I showed up at her door and who didn't think I was ridiculously lame for putting the yellow peanut M&Ms back in the bag. But I got you, and then I kissed you after I told myself I wasn't going to and I freaked. And I'm sorry."

"You told yourself not to kiss me?"

"I told myself not to ruin things with my best friend," he amended.

"You're my best friend too, Shane."

"But…" He waited for her to go on.

Her jaw dropped and she nudged him hard. "You're the one who wanted to talk! Why am I going to be the one to lay it all on the line?"

"I already laid it on the line. I sang you that song tonight!" He teased, and she could see that he was trying to lighten up the mood.

"Psh, you sang me a _cover_ song. You already heard my _original_ song about you."

"Which one?" He tried to school his face but he couldn't help the grin that was tugging at his lips. Mitchie was having the same problem as she crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Hey Stephen' was about _me_?"

Mitchie's smile was threatening to break free as she shook her head at him.

"You know it was, Popstar."

He ducked his head and let his smile take over his face. "Yeah, I know it was."

He turned back to her, more serious this time. "It was a great song, Mitchie."

"Please," she blushed. "It was silly and sappy and it came back to bite me in the ass."

"It was perfect." He cupped her face gently and leaned in slowly. "_You're_ perfect." He paused, searching her eyes. "I'm going to try this again, okay?"

All she could do was nod. Words escaped her.

And then, true to his word, he was trying it again. And she had never been happier.


	30. You Make Me Feel

**A/N: Oh, hello. Here's a chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: Not miiiiiine!**

* * *

If there was one moment that Mitchie Elena Torres wished she could freeze and then bottle up forever, it had to be that one. His lips melted against hers and her eyelids fluttered shut and her heart was racing and it was _that_ moment. The one everyone talks about. The one that everything else in your life has to compare to. And when the pressure lessened and he eased his lips away from hers and her eyelids opened hesitantly, he was still there. Smiling. At her.

"Second times the charm," she breathed out, still subconsciously staring at his lips.

"We should probably try it a third, just to be sure," he murmured. And then his lips were back on hers and she felt the same sensations rush through her. Would it be like this forever? Was kissing Shane always this euphoric bliss? And when she parted her lips and his tongue traced the seam of her mouth, she knew that yes. It was always going to be this way.

Eventually they parted again, both of them breathing a little heavier. It was a great feeling and Mitchie couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face.

"Thanks," Shane said softly.

"For what?"

He shrugged.

"For listening to me. For giving me another chance."

Mitchie pretended to think about it for a second. "You did give me a pretty convincing argument."

"_And_ I sang you a song," he teased.

"A _cover_ song."

"It was still pretty great."

"Yeah," She smirked. "It was pretty great."

She looked down at their hands that were entwined as Shane played with her fingers. She couldn't help the blush that came naturally. She was really here, with Shane Gray. And oddly enough, it wasn't his celebrity status that had her questioning reality. It was the fact that she was with a guy she _really, truly_ liked, and he liked her back. And he didn't boss her around of make fun of her dreams or do anything that Joey used to do. He was perfect for her.

"So now what?" Shane asked hesitantly.

"That's a pretty loaded question, Gray." She wasn't actually sure what he was asking – what's next for them as a couple, for that night, for the rest of camp, what?

"I want you in my life," he said simply.

"I'm here for as long as you want me."

"Might be a long time."

"I might be up for that."

"Oh, really?"

He was getting closer with every word, and Mitchie's heart started to thump in anticipation.

"Maybe," she whispered, just as he closed the distance between them.

She got lost in their own world for a few moments, until the door behind them flung open.

She turned quickly, expecting the worst. It could have been Caitlyn, running to warn them; Kylie, there to destroy her; even Brown would have been awkward enough. Instead, it was a flushed blonde girl whom Mitchie had seen around camp a few times, and a tall red headed boy, holding hands and looking contrite.

"Sorry, didn't realize…sorry," the girl mumbled, pulling the guy away, who was a little more confused than her.

"That was Shane Gray!" The boy whispered loudly as he followed his girlfriend's lead.

Mitchie and Shane shared a guilty look, with Mitchie closing her eyes quickly, embarrassed.

"So, I guess that's out now," Shane smirked.

"You can go, if you have to."

"I'm not going anywhere without you."

Her eyes peeked open.

"No?"

"I kind of hated myself last time I walked away after kissing you. I'm not going to do it again."

He held his hand out for hers and Mitchie felt something shift. Their entire relationship was going to be different after they walked out of this cabin. Was she ready? Was he ready? Were _they_ ready?

Yes, to all of the above.

She slipped her hand into his and he tugged her up from the bench a little harder than necessary, causing her to stumble into him. He wrapped his arms around her, gave her that look that made her insides melt, and kissed her slowly and sweetly.

"We're going to be just fine, Mitchie Torres. Just you wait and see."

That was just what she intended to do.

They made their way slowly back to the pseudo-Jam, holding hands and strolling in between the cabins. They weren't sure whether that couple went and told everyone they knew or if they continued their search for a secluded cabin, but they didn't want to rush either way.

The cafeteria was still bustling and alive with people milling around both inside and out. Mitchie could see through the windows that it had picked up a bit more, and Caitlyn was dancing like nobody's business. Nate was standing a little bit to the side, smiling and watching her with pride in his eyes. She attempted to get him to come to the middle and dance with her but each time he just shook his head and smiled at her.

"He's not that much of a dancer," Shane whispered in Mitchie's ear, spotting what she was watching with rapt attention.

"But in your concerts…"

"He _can_ dance, but he doesn't usually do it."

"Unlike me, who _can't_ dance, but is usually coerced into trying anyways."

"I don't know, I think you have a good teacher who can show you some moves. What do you say?" He nodded to the mess hall, tugging her hand. "Let's go prove to everyone that they are getting their money's worth with those dance classes."

She had absolutely no urge to get in there and fall on her ass, but she was still basking in the glow of Shane's presence and couldn't help the smile on her face and she reluctantly nodded.

"Mitchie!" Caitlyn flung her arms around the girl as she walked in, apologizing for her sweatiness and making other vague remarks about her and Shane. Mitchie just smiled and nodded until something caught her attention.

"Wait, what was that about Kylie?"

"Oh, they're having some sort of intervention! It was awesome. I switched cups so she had one with that gross syrup in it, and then she got sick and your _mom_ heard, and I told her that there was a rumor of her being bulimic in high school but I didn't think it was true but then they found the empty bottle in her pocket and they're having like a full blown after school special with her now. Brown says she might not be able to perform in Final Jam because she's been damaging her vocal chords so much and he can't encourage that anymore."

She got all that out in a few breaths but Mitchie had never been so grateful for her ability to speak at 100 words per minute before. Could she really be that lucky? Could both Tess _and_ Kylie be out of Final Jam, leaving her not only with an opportunity to win, but the opportunity to play without something _awful_ happening? She didn't want to jinx herself, but she felt the burgeoning hope within her.

"Hey, I was promised a dance," Shane broke through her reverie with his gentle, teasing voice.

"With Mitchie?" Caitlyn asked incredulously. Even she knew what a klutz she was on the dance floor, with or without the help of other campers.

"Yeah, you should probably dance with Caitlyn if you're looking to impress people," she pointed out.

"I want to dance with my girl, if that's okay."

Her face – and body – heated up with his words and she nodded shyly and let him pull her onto the dance floor. She chanced a glance behind her and saw Caitlyn freaking out.

"My girl?" Caitlyn mouthed to her, despite Nate trying to pull her away.

"I know!" Mitchie mouthed back, trading a grin with the girl that had quickly become her best friend.

"You ready for this?" Shane asked, spinning her to face him.

"If I said no, would you let me go sit down?"

"Not a chance."

The two were smiling so brightly at each other that they could have lit up the entire mess hall. It didn't matter that Mitchie knew she was going to embarrass herself (and Shane, if she were being honest), but she was having fun, and for Camp Rock, that was saying a lot.

If Shane hadn't been her dance teacher, she would have been really concerned that his idea of dancing was mindlessly grinding up against anything of the opposite sex. She was guilty of doing that a time or two – who wasn't? – but her mom worked at the camp, and she had no plans for her to ever see her get that intimate with a boyfriend, clothed or not.

That brought a whole 'nother realm of thought to Mitchie. Her mom. Would she approve of Shane? She really did have her heart set on her and Joey growing up and getting married and popping out 2.5 kids. She knew her dad liked Shane, though, so maybe he could get her to see reason.

"I don't know what's going through your mind right now," Shane whispered in her ear, interrupting her reverie. "But don't worry about it. Just dance!"

And that was all it took. He spun her out and brought her back in, catching her hands in his, and she was lost.

They danced for hours, Shane and Mitchie. Caitlyn and eventually Nate joined in too, and she was happy to see Jason doing his own wacky dance moves as well. She was laughing and having a great time, letting Shane showcase his own moves occasionally, with him allowing her to draw him out a little with some of her own crazy dances. Other dancers surrounded them, but she noticed that they kept their distance – the reality of Connect 3 still being a somewhat novel concept to them.

They eventually stumbled out of the mess hall, drunk on summer and friendship, all holding hands and holding each other up. Mitchie had her fingers intertwined with Shane's and her elbow locked with Caitlyn and she was singing loudly with Jason as they left.

"_Because you make me feel, you make me feel! You make me feel like a natural woman_," she sang with her voice rich with soul and Jason's lower timbre fitting right in. She stopped to giggle when Nate shoved Jason off the path, laughing at him singing such a feminine song.

Shane was staring at her with eyes wide open and a small smile on his face.

"What?" She couldn't help the question that spilled out of her lips, still smiling brightly.

"You. Your voice is so incredible. It will be a tragedy if you don't win Final Jam."

"Psh," she blushed, brushing off his compliment. "I don't even know what I'm _doing_ for Final Jam."

"About that…" Shane hedged.

"What? Do you know something about me that I don't?" She laughingly asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well, this past week, I kind of worked on something for you."

"You did?" She stopped walking now, dragging Caitlyn to a halt, leading to Nate and Jason unceremoniously stopping as well.

"Well, uh, yeah, sort of." He scratched the back of his neck, a sure sign that he was uncomfortable.

"Tell me more!" She looked so excited that she gave Shane the courage to continue.

"I mean, Caitlyn would have to do some producing on it, and I'm not even sure if you would want to, but I sort of made one of your songs…into a duet."

"…With you?" She asked slowly, and he couldn't tell if she was happy about that or pissed.

"It could be with any guy," he rushed to say, before noticing the way her face fell slightly. "But I wrote it with me in mind." She instantly brightened.

"But wait – can I even perform with you? Isn't that against the rules or something?"

"They don't usually have celebrity instructors," Nate explained. "There's nothing _explicitly_ in the rules saying we can't perform together. They had initially wanted us to judge the competition, but then they said that as teachers, we would probably form favorites, and it wouldn't be fair."

"So who are the judges?" Caitlyn wondered.

"Two label executives and one talent agent. We've worked with the label guys, but not really the agent dude," Jason said.

"Can I hear the song?"

"If you want…"

"I want! If you guys say I can perform it and Caitlyn doesn't mind mixing it and you don't mind singing with me…I want!"

"Of _course_ I'll produce it," Cait said in a mock-offended tone. "Who do you think I am? Sheesh!"

"Alright then…let's go make some music!"

Shane grinned down at Mitchie and couldn't resist dropping a chaste kiss on her lips. She just looked so alive and so happy and _he_ was so happy – it was a moment he hadn't realized he had been waiting for.

"You two are adorable, really. Can we go make some music?" Cait teased good naturedly as she pulled the two along.

Slightly put out that she was having this much fun the _last_ week of camp, Mitchie allowed herself to be dragged, holding tightly to Shane's hand. They had come this far together, why let go now?

* * *

Monday morning came too quickly for Mitchie. She had spent the rest of the weekend making music with her now closest friends, and she had enjoyed every second of it. She woke up early and refreshed though, and eager to see her friends again. She grinned at the thought; she was _especially_ eager to see Shane. She had never felt like this with Joey - well, maybe in the beginning, but even then it was a muted, duller version of this. But she definitely didn't feel anything like this in the last year of their relationship. She had begun to associate the feelings of dread and trepidation with him, instead of the stomach fluttering goodness that Shane sparked inside of her. Her thoughts clouded briefly at the idea that Joey might be at Final Jam this coming weekend, but she pushed them from her mind. She had other, more important things to worry about, like how the rest of the camp was going to react to her and Shane being a couple. And then, after that – the world.

She got dressed easily enough (no major mishaps, which was sadly a rare occurrence for Mitchie Torres) and chose jean shorts, a black fluttery tank top that showed glimpses of her stomach if she moved in just the right way, and flat, black, over-the-knee boots, which she scrunched down to make them hit mid-calf instead. The over-the-knee aspect might be good if she was meeting Shane in the woods later, though.

She hurried off to the mess hall, determined to help her mom that morning, as she hadn't seen her much the past few days.

"Hey mom," she called out, letting the screen door slam behind her. She wasn't surprised to see Nate already there, putting his insulin back in the fridge. "Hey, Nate. How's it going?"

"Last week of camp," he pointed out with a rueful grin. "I don't know whether to laugh or to cry."

"Tell me about it," she said as she washed her hands and slipped on some gloves. "This entire camp experience has been an emotional rollercoaster for me!"

Nate scrubbed up too, all for lending his hands to the good cause of food. Mitchie spied a bowl full of dough with plastic wrap over it on a nearby counter and made her way to it, Nate following along dutifully.

"Morning, Mitchie – you know what to do with that, don't you?" Connie Torres fluttered by her daughter, not sparing her a glance.

"Uh, yeah, I guess…" she muttered to herself. She hadn't seen her mom for two days, really, and that was the greeting she got?

She unwrapped the bowl and the fresh scent told her that biscuits were on the menu that morning. She slapped the mound of dough onto the counter and handed Nate a rolling pin.

"All yours," she said, saccharine sweet.

"Gee, thanks."

She busied herself with getting out the appropriate pans and buttering them up, all the while casting her mom furtive glances. She had absolutely no idea what was eating her. Her mother seemed determined to not pay her attention, busying herself instead with pans upon pans of bacon, and Mitchie had to give up. She'd deal with that later.

She joined Nate with the dough, cutting circular rounds and then moving the biscuits onto pans, popping them into the oven with years of practiced experience.

"So, do you think the rest of the hooligans will join us this morning?" She asked Nate, surreptitiously trying to find out if Shane would be by earlier than classes.

"They were still sleeping when I left, but that was a while ago. Maybe." A pregnant pause, and then… "Have you seen Caitlyn?"

A grin spread across Mitchie's face. They were so cute.

"Not since last night. She opted to sleep in her own cabin, something about a midnight stroll…"

Nate flushed bright red, confirming Mitchie's thoughts. He had it bad.

"What are you going to do after camp?" She asked quietly. Her and Shane had an advantage in the fact that for a brief while, they would both be in L.A. She knew they were going on a tour in the fall – the tour that had been postponed due to Shane's previous 'attitude,' but she knew it was definitely happening. At least she would get a few weeks with him before he jetted off. She had no idea what Cait and Nate were planning.

"I'm not sure. I mean, I know I like her. I know I _have_ liked her, for a really long time. She's only doing tutoring, so her schedule is flexible for a while. Maybe she might want to come to L.A. when we're prepping for tour…I don't know." He let out a huge sigh. "Do I sound too needy? I mean, we've only been dating for a few weeks."

"But you've been dancing around this for a few years. If she's worth it – and you know I think she's worth it – then I think you owe it to both of you to see where it goes. We both know that you _and_ Caitlyn can swing the airfare. And I was going to ask her to come visit me for a few weeks, and I guess I can always allow you to see her…"

"Really? You were thinking of having her visit you?"

A combination of delight and excitement spread across Nate's face.

"Of course I was, Nate! She's my best friend!"

"Well, that's perfect! I mean, you can invite her and she won't be forced to do boring tour stuff with me all the time but I can still see her and _please_, you have to. You just have to!"

"Are you begging me right now, Nate Black? Because I've got to say – I kind of like it!"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear you say how much you like my bandmate begging you," a deep, concerned voice came from behind her. Mitchie whipped around and couldn't stop the smile that instantly appeared whenever she thought of Shane Gray. He sounded stern, but she could see the smile that was tugging the corners of his lips up, easing any worries she might have had about her "clandestine" conversation with Nate.

"Pretend all you want, Gray, but it's time for me and Mitchie to come clean…" Nate wrapped his arm around her, leaning his head against hers. "We just can't fight this feeling anymore."

"Oh, thank goodness. Shaney, now we don't have to hide!" Caitlyn came bounding in through the screen door, throwing her arms around Shane, looking up at him with adoration, complete with batting eyelashes.

"What about me?" Jason walked in, completely bewildered.

Mitchie pulled away from Nate, stretching their hands between them.

"Nate, it could never work…my heart belongs to Jason," she said dramatically, flinging her arm above her eyes. A true Scarlet O'Hara. All eyes drifted to Jason, who just gave two enthusiastic thumbs up.

They couldn't hold it in any longer, and the five of them burst into laughter, both girls running to Jason first, giving him a huge hug, before greeting their own Connect 3 guy. It was an unspoken rule between the two girls that they never let Jason feel like a third – or fifth – wheel. He was just as an important member of Connect 3 as the others, and they were determined for him to stay that way.

Mitchie stretched up to give Shane a light kiss, always aware of her mother's eyes, although she hadn't spoken a single word since they had acted out a scene of Camp Rock, the Soap Opera.

"Good morning," she murmured, ensconced in his arms.

"Good morning to you." He smiled a true Shane Gray smile, the one that couldn't be bought in a Seventeen magazine. It was for her and her only, and she relished in that fact every time she saw it. "I went to your cabin but you weren't there. I was going to walk you to breakfast."

"A true gentleman. Will wonders ever cease?"

"They will if you're not there to be suitably impressed with me."

"I will try harder, Mister Gray."

"That's the spirit." He felt his whole body lift with their silly little exchange. He was worried that if, or when, they got together, their whole dynamic would change. He was relieved beyond words to find that not only did it not change, but it just brought a whole new current to their teasing. Did he really find a girl that would indulge in his flirtatious banter, despite how lame? How lucky did he get?

"Mitchie, if you're not cooking, could you please move the social gathering into the mess hall?" Connie interrupted the group's morning chat rather abruptly.

Mitchie caught Caitlyn's eye and gave a small shrug. She had no idea what had gotten into her mom.

"Ooookay," she conceded, rounding up the group. "The biscuits are in the oven, the timers are set accordingly. We're just going to go…"

"Very good, thank you." Again, not even a glance.

The group went to the cafeteria through the connecting kitchen doors and sat at their usual table, only with Jason being the odd man out, sitting with his back to the caf. It was still too early for breakfast, so campers were trickling in at various intervals.

"That was weird," Mitchie mused over her orange juice. "I have no idea what that was about. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was mad at me."

"Have you done anything wrong?"

"I don't think so, Jason," she said wryly. He was the only one who could say things like that and have it somehow not come across offensive. "But you never know. She's probably still mad that I haven't 'come to my senses' and forgiven Joey."

"I will not be held accountable for my actions if he comes to Final Jam," Shane warned her. "He is scum, Mitchie."

"Don't I know it!"

"Maybe you should let Mitchie handle it, she did a pretty good job of it last time," Nate pointed out.

"Yeah, he probably can't have kids," Caitlyn snorted. All the guys at the table winced at the thought.

"_And_, I'm not an international superstar. People won't care if I go around inciting violence. They'd probably care if Connect 3 did."

"For now," Jason said mildly.

"Huh?"

"I just mean you're not an international superstar _for now_. After Final Jam, that will change. And, even if you don't win, you're still dating Shane. You probably shouldn't go around starting fights."

"An excellent point, Jase. I will try my hardest to not get into brawls." He seemed satisfied with that answer, and Mitchie smiled at Shane, who just rolled his eyes. It did make her wonder how her life would change if she was dating Shane. It was funny how in all the things leading up to that, she never once really considered the public ramifications of dating a popstar. It seemed obvious now that her life would be put on a certain level of display, but she really wasn't sure what would happen. Would she be some sideshow freak, on the cover of Us magazine, or would she be that quiet girl that Shane Gray is dating, never to be noticed, always expected to be dumped at a moment's notice.

Shane must have noticed the direction her thoughts were heading, because he nudged her gently with an elbow.

"Hey, just think of it like this – they'll be so happy that I'm not going around starting fights, they probably won't care at all if you do."

And just like that, her introspective mood was lifted. She was so grateful that he could poke fun at his former, sour-tempered self; she let that joy push away any thoughts of the might-be's of the future, and let herself enjoy the now.

Breakfast was eventually served, and everyone moaned appropriately at the biscuits ("_Guys, I just cut them!"_) and kept the conversation light. However, Mitchie could feel every stare as it came her way, with more and more campers honing in on her and Shane.

"Why aren't people interested in you and Nate?" Mitchie whined petulantly. "I don't want to be talked about!"

"But everyone's just so _good _at that already," Cait teased. "They just kind of make fun of my clothes, but they're not even that good at that, so…"

"Hah hah."

Shane casually picked up her hand, which he had been holding onto underneath the table, and moved it above, for everyone to see.

"Are you sure?"

"I didn't care what people said before, when I had first met you, and I certainly don't care now." He actually sounded a bit affronted at that.

"If you're sure…"

His only response was to pick up their joined hands and place a kiss on the back of hers.

* * *

Production went easy enough – the kids in that class were too young to ever dare say something to her, and she's not sure how seriously she would have taken it even if they had. She had finished her final project the week before, having been more experienced with the software than the rest of the class, and instead chose to spend her time going over what Caitlyn had been working on for her that weekend.

Although, to be fair, Caitlyn had warned her that if she changed anything without her express permission, the consequences would be dire. Needless to say, her "going over" time was mostly devoted to her praising Cait's expertise and marveling over her work.

Vocal lessons were another story completely.

"Mitchie, a word?"

Brown had caught her outside the cabin before she went in, which was a surprise into itself. He was not usually that prompt for anything.

She detached herself from Cait (with a reassuring nod that she would be fine without her for five minutes) and moved aside to talk with Brown.

"So," Brown began, looking at her expectantly.

"…So." She didn't really know where he wanted to take this conversation.

"So, you and Shane?" He tried again.

"Oh!" Mitchie felt herself get red with embarrassment. Of course he wanted to talk about that! "I mean, yeah. Unless…that's a problem. I don't want to get in trouble or anything…"

"I wouldn't worry about anything like that, dear! Just don't do anything that I wouldn't do, and I suspect we're on the right path, don't you say?"

She actually couldn't say anything because she had no idea what _he_ was trying to say. She nodded mutely.

"I'm very happy for you, though. You've done wonders for that nephew of mine and I'm not above saying he's done wonders for you, too."

"You…wanted to talk to me about Shane?" She was starting to get confused. If it wasn't a problem, then why would Brown bring it up?

"Well, yes and no. But the Shane thing was a good starting topic, wouldn't you say? I suppose the real reason I wanted to talk to you was about Final Jam. Do you…have something prepared?"

_Wait, what?_

"Kind of! I mean, I've been working with the boys, and they've been helping me and preparing stuff…"

"Oh, I did hear a whisper about you working with the boys. That's good, very good," he seemed to be talking to himself at this point, before coming back to the present. "Listen, poppet – don't sell yourself short. If I could give you one tip for Final Jam, that would be it. You have got a real shot at winning this, with or without the boys help. You've got a voice for the ages, you know that?"

"Huh?" Not her most eloquent, but she was taken aback.

"I'm serious. Dead serious. I know this hasn't been the most fun camp experience for you – don't look at me like that, I know it. But you've stuck it out and this is your time to shine. You're going to get there someday, regardless of who you are, but I wouldn't mind being your launching pad, you get what I'm saying?"

_No._

"Sure, of course. You're my lily pad, got it. I'm just gonna…go." Mitchie closed her mouth before anything else garbled could come out of it and bolted for the door to the cabin. _That was good_, she thought. _Convince him you're ready for the major leagues and stun him with your vocabulary, good job, Mitchie Torres._

"What was that about?" Cait whispered as Mitchie slid into her seat beside her, happy to note that neither Kylie nor Tess were in class.

"I think he just told me good luck? I don't know, exactly."

"Well, what did he say exactly?"

Mitchie relayed their conversation back, or at least what she could remember of it.

"Mitchie, he thinks you're going to win Final Jam!"

"Did you just hear a thing I said? Those words did not come out of his _or_ my mouth. He was just wishing me luck. And some other stuff to do with Shane, but that wasn't important, I don't think."

"He was telling you that he wants you to be able to point to Camp Rock and say 'that's when I became a star! Right there!'"

"Wouldn't I do that anyway?"

"You are missing the big picture!"

"I think you are drawing your own picture!"

Brown chose then to stroll in, giving Mitchie a wink, causing Cait to nudge her, but not say anymore on the subject. At least for now.

* * *

"Doesn't that sound like he thinks she could really win Final Jam?"

Caitlyn was rehashing the story once more at lunch to the boys of Connect 3.

"We all think Mitchie could win!" Jason pointed out.

"Everyone except Mitchie," Caitlyn snorted.

"I think Cait's right, Mitch," Shane popped another fry into his mouth, looking at the girl that changed his world. "Brown doesn't say things he doesn't mean. And he isn't usually vocal about who his favorites are. He doesn't just think you could win Final Jam; he thinks you're about to be the next big thing."

"I think you are all reading way too much into this."

"Just think about it, if you get big and Camp Rock was the one to propel you into stardom, it would really reflect well on Brown and this entire place." Trust Nate to have the logical, business perspective.

"So you're saying Brown wants to use me."

"Now who's reading too much into this?" Cait teased lightly.

"He doesn't want to use you. He thinks you're going to win, Mitchie, and so do we."

"I don't know, it seems a bit iffy for me. He just got all dramatic and said that I had a 'voice for the ages,' or something."

"He said that?" Shane still had a small smile playing at his lips, but his whole demeanor changed.

"Yeah, although I'm sure I misunderstood _that_ somehow too…"

"Mitch," Shane shook his head a little to clear it. "That's what Brown said to _us_. Right before we got signed. And that's what he said to Johnny J, and the Catskill Sisters," he said, referring to other past winners of Camp Rock who went on to be a successful rappers and folk musicians, respectively.

"Oh yeah!" Jason remembered, snapping his fingers. "He thinks that's his trademark or something! I forgot he said that!"

"Well, what if I don't win?"

"Mitchie…" Caitlyn began hesitantly. "What if you do?"


End file.
